Across Time and Space
by agent000
Summary: Cliche: Ed travels through time. Ed travels through space. So does Al. So does Winry. Noncliche: He winds up in the middle of nowhere. Oh, wait, that's cliche too. Darn.
1. A Slave of Time

**_This is my first fan fiction ever. I don't know how good it is, but you're welcome to leave me reviews to tell me your thoughts. This story picks up right where the anime left off. By the way, a lot of different time periods will be represented in this story. I may not get all of the facts straight about what happened in which time period. (I was never good at history.) If I end up putting PCs in the 50's and treadle machines in the 70's, just overlook it and enjoy the story. This is my story world, so some of the rules will end up being bent. Enjoy the story!_**

Edward Elric was perplexed. It had been several months since he'd landed in London after having traveled through the Gate. He had studied rocket science for a short time, hoping that it held the key to his getting back to his own world. But, alas, the Einstein theory proved to be the most dependable. That meant that there was no ether in space. That meant that he couldn't get home that way. He would have to try a different method, but what else was there to try?

Filled with questions, he decided to take a walk to clear his head. After saying goodbye to his father, Hohenheim, he slipped out onto the street and started walking to nowhere in particular. He used to hate his father for leaving his family, especially for leaving his mother. But he'd developed a deep respect for his father after learning why he had left. Hohenheim hadn't wanted his children to have to see his rotting body.

As Ed was walking along, he passed by a metaphysical shop. His father came here often, as he was studying magic, since he wasn't able to use alchemy on this side of the gate. Curious, Ed stepped inside.

"Blessed Be," said the woman behind the counter, "Can I help you find anything?"

"No, I'm just browsing," said Ed, "My father comes here a lot, and I was just curious about what you had here."

"Your father comes here a lot? Look at me, son, let me see your face."

Ed turned and faced the woman. She gasped, "You're Hohenheim's son."

Startled, Ed asked, "How could you tell? Do I look that much like him?"

The lady shook her head. "No, you look quite different from him, but I'd know those eyes anywhere."

Ed was a little confused. Seeing this confusion on his face, she explained, "You and your father are the only human beings I have ever seen with gold-colored eyes."

"And that's…unusual…here." Ed said.

"Indeed it is most unusual here." The lady replied, "But I gather you are not from around here. Where are you from? Where do people with gold-colored eyes originate?"

A shiver ran up Ed's spine. He knew that someone was going to ask this question sooner or later, but he wasn't sure how he was supposed to answer it.

"I…" he began, then his voice trailed off.

"Are you okay?" asked the lady.

Ed nodded in response, then took a deep breath, and began again. "I-I'm from a place that you've probably never heard of before."

"You wouldn't have happened to have come through the Gate would you?" asked the lady.

Ed jumped back and nearly tripped over himself. "What do you know about the Gate?"

"I only know what is written in my coven's book of shadows. It says that the Gate is a portal between our world and another that is very much like this one. The main difference being that while this world has developed quite impressive technology, or will develop it in the future, the world on the other side of the gate has developed alchemy instead."

"That's it!" Ed said, starting to get excited, "Does it say how to get back to that other world?"

"Unfortunately, no." replied the lady. "However, people from our side of the Gate must have gone to the other side and back, or this information wouldn't be in our book of shadows."

"Yes, but how did they do it?" Ed asked, a bit frusterated.

"I'm not sure, but I may be able to provide a way for you to find out on your own." She replied.

"What is it?" asked Ed.

"It's very dangerous." The lady replied.

"What IS IT?" demanded Ed.

"I have a spell that will summon the gate, but it won't allow you to pass through it. Instead, Time will grab ahold of you, and carry you back and forth in its currents, periodically dropping you off at some point in history. By talking with the people in these various time periods, you may be able to find the answer you seek. However, once you are under the control of Time, it is very difficult to get free. You will also need to find your answers before the spell wears out, or else you'll be a victim of Time, forever."

"A victim of Time?" asked Ed, "What is that?"

"When the spell has run its course, you'll be left wherever you are, permanently. If you're lucky, you will land in some time period. If not…"

"I'll be traveling through time forever, and never stop." Ed finished. "Just the same, I'm willing to take the risk. Anything that gives me even a slight chance of getting back home is worth the risk. What do I need to do?"

"You mean you want me to perform the spell right now?" asked the lady, "Shouldn't you go and ask your father first?"

"I don't answer to him. He left us when we were young, though I no longer blame his for that, and my brother and myself have been living on our own for the past four years. I think I'm well equipped to make my own decisions." Said Ed.

"But he'll worry about you." She said.

"If this goes the way I'm hoping it does, then I'll be back in this time before he even knows I'm gone. If not, then at least I've tried." He said.

"Very well," the lady said, "Then follow me."

She led him to a room where religious rituals obviously took place. A large pentagram was etched out on the floor, and there were candles surrounding it in a circular pattern.

"Stand in the middle of the circle." The lady told Ed. Ed did as he was told. The lady then proceeded to recite the words to a spell.

"Time come and send this person  
On his journey to find the answer.  
Elementals, please lend me your aid.  
Increase my power to send him on his way."

Suddenly, Ed saw this strange light appear and start to bind him like a rope. On an impulse, he tried to shake himself free from it, but its hold only grew tighter, as it continued to wind itself around Ed's body. He closed his eyes and swallowed. This was strange, but he knew he could handle it. He could feel that the strange light almost had him fully bound. Ed opened his eyes again. He could see the lady standing in front of him. She started to grow fuzzy, then completely disappeared. All Ed could see was light all around him. There would be no turning back now.

**_To be continued…_**


	2. Alchemy and the Sea

Ed was plopped down on a sandy seashore. Man, what a head rush , thought Ed. He picked himself up and dusted himself off, then took a look around.

There was a huge multitude of people standing by the seashore. They had set up a lot of tents. Obviously they were a traveling culture, but they showed no signs of advanced technology, which surprised Ed. He saw a cloud of dust off in the distance. Apparently the people saw it too, because they looked very worried.

Since I'm here, thought Ed, I'd better see if I can find someone that I can talk to. He started to look around for someone that looked like he knew what he was doing, when suddenly the huge crowd of people started running past him. He couldn't do anything but go where they were going. Oh well, thought Ed, maybe I'll still get a clue from where they lead me.

The people stopped just by the sea. They all started shouting insults at someone that he couldn't see. He tried to stand on his toes to catch a glimpse of who they were shouting at, but the people were just too tall.

So, Ed grabbed the person nearest him, who was a girl who happened to be about his size, and said, "What's going on around here? Why is everybody so afraid?"

The girl just looked at him for a moment, and then asked, "Who are you? I've never seen anyone with hair and skin like yours. Are you one of THEM?"

Ed shook his head in disbelief. He had spent so much time with the people of Ishbal that he no longer noticed when someone had a different skin color than he had. "Look," he said, "I don't know who THEY are. I'm from a distant country unknown to you. I just happened upon your camp, and now that I'm stuck in this crowd, I'd like to know what's going on."

The girl looked down and sighed. She then looked back up at Ed and said, "My people were in slavery for many years, and have just gained our freedom. We are trying to return to our native land, but we've been stopped by this sea. Now, our former masters, the Egyptians, are coming after us to try and take us back as slaves!"

Ed looked at the ground, and dug into the ground with his shoe. "I-I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help." What really hurt was that he could have done something to help, had he been on his own side of the gate.

Then, both he and the girl sprang out of their trance as they heard a loud voice shouting from the seashore. Ed couldn't hear most of the words, because the crowd wouldn't stay quiet enough for him. He had to get closer.

"Is there a way to get closer to the front?" Ed asked the girl.

"Maybe, but you'd have a fight on your hands if you tried." Said the girl.

"I need to speak to whoever that is speaking. Could you please show me how to get closer?" asked Ed.

"Okay, if you insist, but I warned you," said the girl, "Follow me."

Ed and the girl wove their way through the people in the crowd. "Watch it, kid!" said one man, gruffly.

"I'm sorry, sir." Said the girl.

"Won't you watch where you're going?" said a woman.

"I'm sorry, excuse us," said Ed.

Finally, they came close enough to see and hear the man who was speaking. An old man was standing by the sea with a staff in his hand, shouting at the multitude. The girl who had led Ed leaned over and whispered in his ear. "That's our leader. His name is Moses. God speaks directly through him."

Ed tried to stifle his scorn of such talk. He'd had to deal with a man pretending to be God back in Lior, and he had gotten pretty hardened to it by now.

Finally, the crowd quieted down enough so that Ed could make out something of what was being said by the old man. He listened carefully, and heard, "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord."

Then, the old man turned to face the sea. He lifted his arms up to the sky and recited something that Ed couldn't hear. Then, he lowered his arms, clapped his hands together once, and placed his staff in the water.

All of a sudden, the water split apart and piled up in two huge walls, leaving a clean, dry path in between. Ed felt the intensity of the crowd as they started running past him again, toward that path.

That was definitely an alchemical reaction, thought Ed, but how was it that he had managed to perform alchemy on this side of the Gate? Apparently, Ed realized, alchemy was possible here, but it required a different procedure than the one he had been taught.

Ed waited until the people were all gone and the sea had settled back down to normalcy. He wasn't exactly sure how that old man had done it, but he was going to try. He walked up to the sea, stretched his arms above his head, and muttered something, since he didn't know what the old man had said. Then, he brought his arms down again, clapped his hands together, and touched the water.

Ed waited…but nothing happened. "Darn!" exclaimed Ed. The secret was so close and yet so far away.

Suddenly, he heard a strong wind coming. Oh no, thought Ed, not yet! I haven't figured this out yet. The wind wrapped around him and pulled him up into the air. Higher and higher he went, until he could no longer make out any details of the landscape below. Everything started to grow fuzzy, being drowned out by light.

Ed sighed. "Well, here we go again. I hope that the next stop gives me as big of a clue as this one did."

**_To be continued..._**


	3. Into the Gate

_**It would be really helpful if those of you reading this story would review. I need to have some feedback if you want this to continue at a reasonable pace. (I tend to run out of ideas rather quickly, because I have no idea what people like to read.) Thanks to Animeangel2 for reviewing!**_

Al was standing on the bank of the river in Rizenbul village, idly tossing stones into the current. Sensei had been re-teaching him alchemy, since he'd lost his memories of the past four years. She had explained to Al about the Gate as the cause of his brother's disappearance, but he still couldn't make much sense of the whole thing. It was just too much to comprehend.

"Brother," Al said, "What do I have to do to find you?" A tear rolled down his cheek as he thought of his brother. It seemed like only yesterday they had lost their mother, and now his brother was gone too. No, he mustn't think that. Brother wasn't dead, he was just…missing. Surely he was still alive, wasn't he?

Al lifted his hands up in front of them, and studied them. "Sensei says that those that have seen the gate can do a transmutation without a circle. She also says that I've seen the Gate, several times, but that I can't remember. If only I could figure out how to summon this Gate, I might be able to find brother."

He put his hands back in his lap. He knew that there was one person that could summon the Gate, his Sensei. But she was so weak, that he couldn't ask her to do that. He wasn't going to put her at risk.

Suddenly, Al thought of something he had never thought of before. What about Wrath? He's been through the Gate, so perhaps he has the knowledge of how to summon it. Of course, any mention of the Gate frightened Wrath, but he had to try.

In no time, Al was back at the Rockbells' house. "Winry, is Wrath here?" asked Al.

"I think he's in his room," said Winry.

"Thank you," said Al.

Al approached the door of Wrath's bedroom and knocked. Even if he was a homunculus, he felt he should still be polite. Wrath let him in, and invited Al to sit down. They often chatted with each other about various things, and got along pretty well.

Al spoke up, "Uh, Wrath, I have to ask you something, something that might be painful for you to talk about…"

Wrath got a look of horror on his face. "Please, no! I won't talk about that! I won't!"

"How do you know what I was going to ask you?" asked Al.

"You ought to know that the only thing that bothers me is mention of the Gate. That, or a baby's cry." Wrath answered, a tear starting to form in his eye.

"I know, and I'm so sorry," said Al, "But I thought that you might know how to summon the Gate."

"Why would you want to summon the Gate?" said Wrath. "Are you crazy? It took your brother; do you want it to take you too?"

"I know it involves some risk, but I think that I might be able to get Brother back if I can summon the Gate," said Al.

"B-but, you would have to go through it to find him, a-and…" Wrath's voice trailed off.

"Yes?" said Al, trying to encourage him to finish.

Wrath sobbed and then said, "I-I, don't want to lose you."

With that, tears started coming to Al's eyes. "I understand, Wrath. I don't want to be separated from you either, but I must get brother back. I'll never be truly happy until I at least find out what happened to him. If I can get him back, then we can all be one big, happy family again."

Wrath stood silent for a moment. Al wondered if he had said too much. He didn't want Wrath to be made to feel like he wasn't important to him, because he was. It was just that Brother was more important. He had to find him, no matter what the cost.

Finally, Wrath looked back up at Al. "So, you want me to tell you what I know about how to summon the Gate?"

"Anything that you can tell me would be most helpful," said Al.

Wrath looked at Al steadily for a few seconds before continuing. "You don't need to use alchemy to summon the Gate."

Al was shocked; you don't need to use alchemy? Then how did one summon the Gate?

Wrath continued, "Every alchemist has a Gate inside him. All one has to do is call upon the Gate within."

"Really?" Al said, "So then, where does the Gate lead to?"

"I don't know," said Wrath, shaking his head, "I never went to the other side. I always stayed inside the Gate. Your brother, your father, and Envy went to the other side, but I never dared to journey that far."

At this point, Wrath started choking up. Al could see that these memories were extremely painful for poor Wrath.

"Thank you very much for your information, Wrath," said Al, "It's been helpful. I won't bother you about this subject anymore, I promise."

Without saying a word, Wrath threw both of his arms around Al, being careful to not hit him too hard with his auto-mail arm. He began to sob loudly, and his whole body shook with each sob. Al wrapped his arms around Wrath and tried to console him.

After about an hour, Al finally left Wrath in his room, having said goodbye to him just in case he successfully summoned the Gate. He walked back to the river, where he concentrated best.

Al put both of his hands over his heart to help him in his meditation, and started to focus on summoning the Gate within him. He really wasn't sure what he was doing, but he had to try.

He waited a moment…nothing happened. Al tried again…again, nothing happened. He was beginning to get discouraged, but decided he'd try again, for his brother's sake.

Al close his eyes and stood silently, thinking to himself, the Gate, I'm summoning the Gate, I'm calling on the power inside me.

Suddenly, Al felt a strange sensation, and he opened his eyes. The first thing that he noticed was white light all around him. Then he noticed the Gate. It couldn't be anything else. This had to be the Gate that everyone was talking about.

He put his hand upon the huge door, hoping to find a way to open it. To his surprise, the doors opened up all by themselves. Al found himself gazing into a huge void, leading to who knows where.

Al took a deep breath, and then let it out. "Brother," he said, "I'm coming for you!"

Then he stepped through the Gate.

_**To be continued…**_


	4. A Piece to the Puzzle

**_Thanks to those who've reviewed thus far. It helps to make my story better. Please keep reviewing! Sorry that it's taken me a few days to update. The Christmas season keeps me busy. Let me know what you think of this most recent update. I welcome suggestionsfor the storyline, or for anything else. Thanks again for reading, especially if you review too._**

"Brother!" Al cried. He opened his eyes to find his father standing over him with a concerned look on his face.

Suddenly remembering what had happened, Al cried, "Father, you're alive!" Al hugged his father, then let go and asked, "Where's Brother?"

"I was hoping that you could tell me," replied Hohenheim, "He's been gone for hours, and I haven't a clue as to where he could be. I thought that your sudden appearance here might be connected with it."

"But I haven't seen Brother since he disappeared from our side of the Gate months ago. I just came here to find him. Don't you have any idea where he could be?" asked Al.

"I'm sorry, Al," said Hohenheim, "I do know that Ed's been moping around a lot lately, and he may have just gone out for a walk. What I'm concerned about is the fact that he's not back yet."

Al stood up and paced around the room. "Tell me all the places you can think of that you and Brother go. We might be able to find him if we think very carefully."

Hohenheim grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, and sat down. Al sat down as well.

"Okay," said Hohenheim, "But this may take some time."

* * *

"So, you call yourself a witch?" Ed asked.

"Yes," answered the woman.

"Do you know any magic?" He asked again.

"Well, I know some magick, but I'm afraid that none of the magick spells I have would get you back through the Gate." She replied.

"I understand. No one really seems to know how to get through the Gate, but a select few learned somehow. Just tell me what you know." Ed said.

"All I know is that everyone needs to find out which kind of magick they are more adept at. It also helps sometimes to have an object of sorts to help you concentrate the energy you are channeling."

"An object?" asked Ed, "Like what kind of object?"

"Anything that would help you to stay focused. Many people use crystals, incense, jewelry, or something that means something to them. It doesn't really matter what you use, as long as it helps you to concentrate," answered the woman.

Moses had that staff that he held, thought Ed. That was probably part of the missing information.

"So," said Ed, "If I chose an object of some sort, it would help me to concentrate better?"

"Only if it works for you. You must choose the right object to use in your rituals, or it won't work for you."

"Thank you," said Ed, "You've been a big help."

Ed turned to walk away, but the woman called to him.

"Please don't tell anyone that I'm a witch. I don't want to be burned at the stake."

"Your secret is safe with me," said Ed.

Just then, the wind picked up, and Ed knew that he would be moving on once again.

* * *

"You cast a spell on my son?" said an outraged Hohenheim, "What right do you have to cast spells on random people, especially children?"

"But your son asked me to cast that spell on him! I was only trying to help," replied the owner of the metaphysical shop.

"He is a child! He is more mature than the average 15-year-old, I grant that, but that doesn't change the fact that he is still a child! He is too young to understand the repercussions of such things," said Hohenheim.

"I am so sorry, sir," said the woman, "I did explain to him what the risks were. He seemed to understand them."

"Brother has always been reckless like that," said Al, "I understand his desire to get back through the Gate, but his desire is so strong that it's clouding his judgment."

"Can't you reverse the spell and bring him back?" asked Hohenheim.

"I'm afraid not, sir. Once the spell has been cast, it can only be broken by the one it was cast on," said the woman.

"I just hope that Brother has the skill to break that spell," Al said. Then, muttering under his breath, he said, "Please come home soon, Brother."

**_To be continued..._**


	5. The Driver

_**Hi, everyone! Sorry that it took me so long to update. I honestly thought that there weren't very many people interested in this story, but I just found the stats feature and was proven wrong. One person added me to their favorite stories, and four more added me to story alert. Wow! I didn't realize that anyone even cared what happened to this story!**_

_**Ok, for your sakes, I'll try to continue with this story. I need suggestions though, or this story will die. (I feel like it's going downhill already. I seriously need a little bit of help.) Drama isn't my specialty, so I need the support and help of my readers. Thanks for reading.**_

Ed walked along the side of the road, kicking at the dirt. Where was he now? It didn't matter, really, as he had just as good a chance of finding information here as anywhere. He just liked to have a clue where he was. Anyone would.

Before long, someone pulled up beside him on the road. "Hey! Want a lift?"

Ed studied the person, as well as what he was driving. That was obviously some sort of car, but it was way different than any of the cars he'd ever seen. He was in the future this time, but how far into it, he had no idea.

Ed looked right at the driver and asked, "By 'want a lift' do you mean 'would you like a ride'?"

The driver gave Ed an I-can't-believe-how-stupid-you-are look and said, "Duh!"

Ed guessed that that meant yes, in some strange way, and said, "Sure, I'd like a ride, a lift, whatever it's called."

"Then climb in," said the driver.

Ed managed to figure out how to get the door open. He was surprised about how soft the seat was when he sat down. "Are you rich to have this fancy of a car?" asked Ed.

"Rich? Hahaha!" laughed the driver, "If I were rich, I'd be driving a Mercedes, not one of these things!"

"Well, I'm still impressed," said Ed.

"Thanks," said the driver as he readjusted his rearview mirror, "You buckled in yet?"

"Buckled in?" asked Ed.

"You know, your seat belt?" said the driver.

"I'm not sure that I understand," said Ed.

The driver reached over Ed, grabbed his seat belt, and buckled him in. "Hey, thanks!" said Ed.

"Don't mention it," said the driver, "I figured that you weren't from around here, so maybe you don't understand our American ways."

"American ways?" asked Ed again.

The driver laughed and laughed. "Now, don't tell me that you never heard of America! You're in America, man, how could you have not heard of it?"

"It's a long story," mumbled Ed.

"Well, I like long stories," said the driver, shifting gears, "Care to lay it on me?"

"I don't know…" said Ed, not quite sure whether he wanted to tell anyone the truth, "You'd think I was just making it all up."

"Even if that were so," said the driver, "I'd still listen, and you'd have it off your chest."

Ed sighed.

"So," said the driver, "Where did you want to go?"

"I don't know, anyplace I guess," said Ed.

"That's cool, that's cool," said the driver, "I'm heading to Portland, I could take you that far if you wanted. It's a pretty big city."

"Sure, that's fine," said Ed. He sighed again, then said, "So are you sure that you won't laugh if I tell you my story?"

"Hey man, you got my word, and my word is as good as gold!" said the driver.

Ed took a deep breath, and then began his story.

"Where is Al?" asked Winry. I haven't seen him since this morning, and I'm starting to get kind of worried about him.

Auntie Pinako looked up for a second from what she was doing, then looked back down again, "I don't know. I haven't seen him at all today. Why don't you go and ask Wrath?"

Winry crept quietly to Wrath's bedroom, and raised her hand to knock when she heard some sniffling coming from the other side of the door.

"Wrath?" called Winry, "Are you alright?"

The cries grew louder and more frequent.

"What's the matter, Wrath?" asked Winry.

"I'm s-sorry," said Wrath, "I shouldn't have told him anything."

"Told who what? What are you talking about?" asked Winry.

Wrath opened the door to let Winry in. Tears were running like rivers down his face, his eyes were red and puffy, and his chest heaved every couple of seconds.

"Now, what are you talking about? Does this have anything to do with Al?" asked Winry.

Wrath nodded. Winry knew that there was more going on than she had at first assumed. "Tell me what's going on, Wrath, and I'll see what I can do."

Wrath wrapped his arms around Winry and started crying even more than he was a minute ago. Winry realized that she was going to be here a little bit longer than she'd planned.


	6. On the Road

Ed and the driver sat silent for several minutes after Ed had completed his story. Had he said too much? He didn't want to be thought of as being crazy, which was understandable on this side of the Gate, but it did feel good to finally be able to let it all out.

Finally, the driver spoke up, "It sounds like you have a pretty active imagination."

"Then, you don't believe me," said Ed, "I expected as much."

"I think that you have an incredible imagination, and could probably become famous if you could figure out whom to sell your ideas to. It certainly was entertaining to me," said the driver.

"Is there any way that I could convince you that I was telling the truth?" asked Ed.

"Hmmm…Let's see…" said the driver, as he was very open-minded, "Why don't you show me some of that, what's it called, alchemy?"

Ed sighed, "I can't do alchemy on this side of the Gate, I already told you that."

"Oh right, right, my bad," said the driver, "Hmmm…hey, wait a minute! Didn't you say that you had lost your arm in one of your experiments?"

"Yes…" said Ed, not quite sure what he was getting at.

"And didn't you say that your country has special technology for prosthetic arms and legs? What is it called?"

"Auto-mail," Ed finished.

"Right, right," said the driver, "So if what you're saying is true, then you would have to have one of these special arms, right?"

Ed chuckled to himself. When the driver asked him what he was chuckling about, he said, "Even if I showed you my auto-mail, wouldn't you just come up with another excuse not to believe my story?"

The driver laughed, "Yeah, you're probably right. My friends all call me and 'open-minded skeptic'. I listen to everything everyone says, but never believe any of it."

"So, why is that, exactly?" asked Ed.

"Oh, I don't know," said the driver, "I guess that I just don't want to look stupid falling for something that isn't so."

Ed leaned back in his seat and stared straight ahead for a few minutes, thinking. This guy was a nice guy, no doubt about that, but a bit too concerned with what other people thought. If he could just break down that wall he had built up around his heart, maybe this guy would believe his story? It was worth a shot, but how to do that was a whole different matter.

* * *

"Al went through the Gate to find Edward?" Winry practically yelled. Wrath managed to nod in between sobs. He hadn't been living up to his name much, as of late.

"We've got to get him back here, before he hurts himself," said Winry, "How does one get through the Gate?"

"I…don't…know" sobbed Wrath.

"What do you mean, you don't know? You told Al how to get through, didn't you?" demanded Winry.

Wrath looked up into Winry's eyes, and said, "Al was an alchemist. Besides that, he's summoned the Gate before, though he couldn't remember it. I have no idea how a non-alchemist would summon the Gate." Tears started rolling down Wrath's cheeks again, as he burst out saying, "I wish I hadn't told him how to get through the Gate!"

Winry held Wrath in her arms, trying to soothe him. Amidst his wailing, she tried to think if there was any way, any way at all, that a non-alchemist could cause some sort of alchemical reaction strong enough to summon the Gate.

Humph, thought Winry, short of the Philosopher's Stone, there was really no way that she could see to get through, and she certainly wasn't going to kill anyone to get it. Ed and Al's Sensei had summoned the Gate before, so perhaps she might know something that would be useful. But she was so weak lately, and Wrath hated her. Was it worth going to ask her?

After a few minutes, Winry lifted up Wrath's chin and looked into his red, puffy eyes. "Wrath," she said, "I don't know if it would help, but your mother might know something that we don't."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Wrath cut her off with his screams, "I hate her! I don't ever want to see her again!"

"I'm sorry, I guess that I shouldn't have brought it up," said Winry, "I was just thinking that she might be able to help us get Al back."

Wrath stood with his back toward her for several minutes, sobbing to himself. Finally, he turned around to face her and said, "I'll go with you. I want Al back just as much as you do. I'll go with you."

* * *

"Look out!" Ed cried. The driver swerved over to the side of the road just in time to avoid being hit by and out-of-control semi-truck. Unfortunately, the car crashed on the side of the road. He wouldn't be able to start it until he got a repair man to take care of it.

"Man, that was close!" said the driver, "Thanks, little buddy, you saved us both."

"Aw, it was nothing," said Ed, "But what do we do now?"

"We'll have to walk to the nearest town and get someone to tow the car back with them," said the driver, "My cell phone won't work in this area. Looks like we're going to be stuck with each other for awhile."

"I guess that we'd better get walking then," said Ed.

"Pity we had to get stuck in the desert though," said the driver.

"Oh, it's not the first time for me. This isn't too severe of a desert, anyway," said Ed.

"Right, it's not the first time for you. I remember," said the driver. _I just wish that I could believe._


	7. Ed's Voices and Winry's Talk

_**Ok, let's see if I can spit out another chapter. There must be some creativity inside me somewhere, hehe. I'm not sure if I'll find it today, but I'll try. You have been forwarned.**_

_**Anyway, thanks YaoiFan26 for another review! I do indeed appreciate it. It encourages me to continue writing, since somebody's actually interested in the outcome. If any of you who are reading this have any suggestions, or want to see something happen in the story, please suggest it. I'll incorporate as many suggestions as I can.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist.**_

Ed and the driver were walking silently along the side of the road. Finally, Ed spoke up, "Uh, since we are going to be spending so much time together, do you mind if I ask you your name?"

"Just call me Joe," said the driver.

"So, Joe isn't your real name then?" asked Ed.

"No, it's not my real name, but I prefer to go by it," said Joe.

"Would it be too much if I asked why?" asked Ed.

"Let's just say that my real name is associated with my past life, and so I call myself by a different name to remind myself to move forward, and not look back," said Joe.

"I understand that," said Ed, "So how far do we have to walk?"

"That depends," said Joe, "On whether we have to walk all the way, or if we can hitch a ride."

"I guess that we'll have to hitch a ride then," said Ed, "My auto-mail is killing me!"

"Hey, that's right, can I see your 'auto-mail' as you call it?" said Joe.

"Why do you want to see it, you don't believe my story," said Ed.

"But I still think that a prosthetic arm and leg like that sounds cool, and I'd still like to see it," said Joe.

Ed sighed. People on this side of the Gate were so stupid when it came to technology. Why was technology such a big deal? He removed his right glove, and pulled up his sleeve. "Here it is," said Ed, "Are you happy now?"

"Whoa, man, this is totally wicked, this is freakin' awesome!" said Joe. Obviously, this guy had never met a cliché that he didn't like.

Joe grabbed Ed's hand and was turning it this way and that, trying to take in every little thing about the mechanical arm.

"And here I thought that I'd finally managed to get away from a machine freak!" Ed said jokingly. He choked back a sob when he said that, since it reminded him of Winry. He missed her, and Al too. What were they doing right now?

"Okay, that's enough!" said Ed as he jerked his arm away from Joe, who just stood there with a but-I'm-not-done-looking expression on his face. Ed was firm though, they needed to get moving.

Just as they started walking again, Ed suddenly felt a sharp pain rush through his abdomen, and he doubled over, trying to make it not hurt so much. Voices were rushing through his head. Voices of Al talking to Wrath about getting through the Gate. Voices of Winry and his Sensei talking with each other. Voices of Al and his father talking together with the woman at the metaphysical shop. What did all this mean? Did Al come through the Gate? How could he possibly have done so? Did he make the wrong decision about traveling through time like this?

Finally, the sensation stopped, and the pain instantly vanished. Ed stood up, perplexed as to what had just happened to him.

"You okay there, little buddy?" asked Joe.

"Yeah, I'm okay, I guess," said Ed, as he scratched his head, "I don't know what that was, but it's gone now."

"That's good, but you be careful," said Joe, "Now let's get moving. If we're lucky, maybe we'll even get a ride to town."

"I hope so," said Ed. Then, mumbling under his breath, he said, "Because I really want to go home."

Winry and Wrath were talking to Ed and Al's Sensei about the Gate.

"Honestly," said Izumi, "I have no idea how Al managed to open the Gate, especially since he didn't even remember it. He must've been really desperate to see his brother again."

"But isn't there any way to open the Gate, and let a non-alchemist go through it?" asked Winry, "I'm just so afraid that Al could be in trouble, and will need my help."

"I understand your concerns, Winry, but even if you did succeed in getting to the other side of the Gate, how would that help Al? You can't open the Gate back up from there. Even Ed and Al can't open it back up, or they would've come back already."

"I know," said Winry, "But I've got to at least see if he's okay, and try to help. I'm sure that there's some way to get back. Maybe if I was there, we could both work together to find a way back, somehow."

"Winry, that would be so foolish. I understand your concern, but don't you think that your coming through the Gate could possibly put more of a burden on Al than he already has to deal with?" said Izumi.

Winry sighed, "Maybe, I don't know." She looked down, and shed a few tears into her lap. Then she looked back up into Izumi's face, and said, "But I just have to find him and see if he's okay! I-I love him so much. He's like my little brother…" her voice trailed off.

Izumi put her hand on Winry's shoulder and looked lovingly into her eyes, "I understand how you feel, Winry. If I could come up with a reasonable solution, I would certainly tell you. The truth of the matter is that only an alchemist who has seen the Gate has the power to summon it. A non-alchemist might be able to go through the Gate at that time, and they might not. The Gate is confusing that way. Either way, we have no way of knowing what would happen. As it is, I'm the only one you know that has the ability to summon the Gate, yet my strength wouldn't likely be able to stand up to another experience like that."

"I know," said Winry, "Thanks, you've been quite helpful." With that, she got up, and left. She'd find someone who could get her through the Gate.


	8. Psychic Connections

**_Sorry that it took me so long to update this time. I've been having computer complications lately. The disk that I keep this particular story on decided that it didn't want to work anymore, so it took me awhile to get this chapter uploaded. I hope that you enjoy it though._**

**_Please, please, please review! I need to know if anyone is still interested in this story. I realize that this one isn't as popular as my other stories, so I need to know that there's an interest in how this story turns out in order to continue it. Enjoy the story._**

Winry didn't know what to do. She wanted to get through the Gate, to get to Al, but how was she supposed to go about doing such a thing? It was nearly impossible. She sat down by the river to think to herself. Naturally, she wasn't going to quit, but what was she going to do?

"Is there any way I can help?"

Winry snapped into alertness when she heard the voice beside her. She turned her head and saw somebody sitting next to her on the bank of the river. Apparently, she'd been thinking so hard that she hadn't even noticed this woman sit next to her. The woman had long, dark, wavy hair. Winry had never seen her before.

"Who are you?" asked Winry.

"I believe that I might be able to help you with your problem," said the woman.

Winry chuckled slightly to herself, "Yeah, right," she muttered under her breath.

The woman leaned closer to Winry. "I've felt your heart crying out for help, so I came to your aid, Winry," she said.

Winry jumped. "How do you know my name?"

The woman's mysterious, dark eyes made direct contact with Winry's while she said, "It is difficult to go beyond the Gate, but I may be able to help you make contact with those you love."

"How did you..." Winry started to say. But no, she wasn't going to ask that question. The woman wouldn't answer her directly anyway. She might as well rephrase her question. "How can you make contact with them?"

The woman turned and gazed out over the river, staring straight into the sunset. She remained silent for a few moments. Finally, she said, "Do you know what's beyond?"

"Beyond the Gate?" asked Winry, "Actually, I have no idea."

The woman said, "Beyond the Gate is a world very similar to our own. Each of us has, or had, a person that looks almost identical to us."

"Interesting, but what does that have to do with anything?" said Winry.

"Time and space are an illusion," said the woman, "Spirit transcends all."

This was indeed a strange woman, thought Winry, but she might as well hear her out. "Okay, but what does this have to do with the Gate?" asked Winry.

"Spirit can communicate with spirit over a great distance or stretch of time," said the woman.

Winry was almost totally lost. What was this lady even getting at?

"We are each psychically connected to our twin on the other side of the Gate. I can help you communicate with your twin. Perhaps she'll be able to help you find out what has happened to your loved ones," said the woman.

Okay, that's starting to make a little sense, thought Winry, if her double could indeed be of any use. What if she didn't know the whereabouts of either Ed or Al? What then?

"The elder brother is beginning to develop a psychic connection between you and also his younger brother. Having been taken out of his environment, he is starting to see the illusion for what it is," said the woman.

"So...Does that mean that I'll be able to communicate with Ed soon?" asked Winry.

"You already have, though you cannot yet control your communications, nor he his. Until he learns to control his communications, he will experience psychic pain every time he receives. He will learn soon," said the woman.

"Then I should communicate with my double until I get some practice, and give Ed a chance to practice before I communicate with him?" asked Winry.

The woman once again looked into Winry's eyes with those dark, mysterious eyes of hers. She didn't say another word. She just got up and left. Winry guessed that she must've figured out what that woman had come to tell her.

Winry sat up in bed with a start. She'd had a strange dream. It was about her...and two boys. The two boys were Ed, yet not Ed, and Al, but not Al. How did that figure out? Ed had been dead for some time, she missed him so badly, but why was he in her dream? Why also did he have such long hair? She would never have caught him dead with long hair. A tear rolled down her face. She sure missed him. She had had a crush on him, but had never gotten the chance to tell him.

In the dream, Ed and Al were portrayed as brothers. That didn't make any sense. Those two had never even met each other, let alone were they brothers. Strange, very strange. She decided that she would go and see that man that had been taking care of Ed before his untimely death, Hohenheim, she thought it was.

She quickly threw on some clothes and put on her outdoor shoes. Was it too early to go see him? It was still dark, yet she couldn't sleep. Maybe he'd be understanding toward her. Especially since he hadn't seen her for months. She hadn't wanted to show her face after Ed's death. It was now or never.

Winry knocked on the door. Please don't be upset, she thought. The door opened. "Why, Winry, what a pleasant surprise!" said Hohenheim, "Come in, come in!" He gestured toward the inside of the house. She graciously accepted his offer and stepped inside the house.

"Now, what brings you here at this hour?" asked Hohenheim.

"I'm so sorry about my coming here so early," said Winry, "But please, Hohenheim of Light, I had a strange dream. I was wondering if you could help me understand it."

Hohenheim put his hand on Winry's shoulder. "Perhaps," he said, "Care to sit down and tell me about it?"

They both sat down. As Winry was about to speak, however, Al came into the room, rubbing one of his eyes. "What's going o...Winry!" he said.

"Al!" she said, "What are you doing here?"

"What are YOU doing here?" said Al, "How did you get through the Gate?"

"The Gate? What are you talking about?" said Winry. She stood up and went over to Al, to get a good look at him.

"Wait a minute, you're not Al!" she said.

"Yes, I am," said Al.

"No, you're not," she said, "At least, not the Al I know. You're the Al from my dream! How is this possible?" She turned to face the other person in the room. "Hohenheim?"

"This Al was in your dream, Winry?" asked Hohenheim.

"Yes," said Winry, "What does this mean?"

"Was there another boy in the dream? One that looked a lot like the boy I was taking care of here?" said Hohenheim.

"You mean, the boy who looked like Edward? The one with the long hair?" asked Winry.

"That's him," said Hohenheim, "That was no ordinary dream. Sit down, and I'll explain it to you."

Both she and Al sat down. They both wanted an explanation of this strange event.

"There is a world much like this one that exists beyond what some call 'The Gate'. Everyone here has or at least, had a double over there. Someone that looks almost like us. Whether we ever develop the ability or not, we are each psychically connected to our doubles. This Al here is from that other world. In that world, he and Edward are brothers. Edward came through the Gate a while back, and hasn't been able to find a way back, so Al came to look for him, but we have no idea where Edward has gone. Chances are, your double, the other Winry from their side of the Gate, got worried about these boys, and contacted you to get you to find out what had happened to them," said Hohenheim.

Winry chuckled to herself, "Yeah, well if that's so, then why would she contact me so early in the morning?"

"Time runs differently between the two worlds," said Hohenheim, "So she has no idea what time it's going to be here for you when she calls you. Even if she were to call you at the same time every day from her world, it might come to you at a different time each day in yours. Time is merely an illusion," said Hohenheim.

"So, since she's called me for help, what can I do?" asked Winry.

"Just contact her the same way she did you," said Hohenheim, "Tell her the truth, since she's so badly wanting it. Tell her that Al is fine, that he's right here with me. The last I saw of Ed was earlier today, so he's probably alright, but we have no idea where he is. We also don't know how to get back to that world once our bodies have crossed the Gate. Tell her all of that," said Hohenheim, "And tell her, that even though Edward doesn't have the courage to admit it, I can tell that he loves her very much." Winry could catch the twinkle in his eye as he said that. She smiled. Unfortunately, her Edward was no longer around to have love her, but she'd like to see the other Edward and Winry come together. She closed her eyes, and sent the message.

Winry of Rizenbul opened her eyes. She wasn't sure how long she had been meditating here, but it had paid off. She really had been able to connect with her twin. She now knew that Al was fine, but she had no idea what had happened to Ed. No one seemed to want to clarify that for her. Oh well, that strange lady had implied that he was okay for now, so she wouldn't worry too much. She wanted to try and contact Ed, but she remembered what that lady had said about psychic pain. No, she wouldn't contact him right now. Not until she had more control of her psychic abilities.

Winry picked up a flat, round stone and toyed with it in her hands. "If time and space are merely illusions, then is there a way to get beyond the Gate myself?" She sighed, "Well, if there is a way, I'll be sure to find it." She stood up, skipped her stone across the river, then turned to go home. Finally, she had hope.


	9. Identity Crisis

_**Thanks for the feedback! I'll make sure to keep up the story for your sake, since I now know that there is interest in this story. Please feel free to suggest.**_

Ed and Joe had finally managed to hitch a ride from a guy with a black pickup truck. The guy had a lot of junk in his back seat, so Ed and Joe sat in the back of the pickup. They didn't mind it though, as the warm breeze in their faces was quite refreshing to them after all the walking they had done.

"So, Ed," said Joe, "If you're really under some sort of time travel spell, why haven't you moved on yet?"

"I don't know," said Ed, "I think that the spell is starting to lose its effect."

"So you mean that you'll be stuck here forever if you don't find the answers really soon?" said Joe.

"Possibly," said Ed, "I knew that there was that risk."

Then, the wind picked up, and Ed could feel it wrapping itself around him. No, he thought, I don't want to move on yet. It began to lift him up out of the back of the pickup.

"Edward," said Joe, "What's happening?"

"I'm moving on," said Ed.

"Please, don't go yet!" said Joe.

"I don't have a choice," said Ed.

Joe began to wear a shocked expression on his face. After a moment's silence, he finally said, "Edward…you're…you're disappearing."

So that's what it looks like to someone on the outside, thought Ed. "I-I'm glad I got to meet you, Joe," said Ed, "And I'll miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too, little buddy," said Joe, who moved over to where Edward was to hug him. Of course, hugging a disappearing Ed was difficult, since his hands passed right through Ed's body.

"So, where are you going?" asked Joe.

"I wish I knew," said Ed.

"Well, wherever you go, my heart will be with you," said Joe, "And another thing, I believe your story now."

Edward smiled, then disappeared.

"Oof!" Ed plopped down on the side of a highway in the middle of a desert. Strange, thought Ed, I could swear that this was exactly the place I just left.

He decided that he had better start walking, since it's never good to stay outside in the desert on a hot day, not even in this High Desert he was in, which was a milder desert than most.

Ed hadn't walked very far when a car full of teenage girls pulled over to the side of the road. "Want a ride?" one of them said. He was a little leery at first about riding with a bunch of crazy, giggling girls, but decided that putting up with them was worth the time and energy he'd save. So, he accepted the offer, and climbed in the car.

Moments after he had settled down (next to the window, of course, having to sit next to one giggling girl was enough), the girl in the driver's seat asked him, "So, are you going to a costume party, or something?"

Ed chuckled, "Why do you ask that?"

"Oh, I don't know," said the girl, "It's just that there's an anime convention taking place today, and so I thought that maybe you were going to it."

"What's anime?" asked Ed.

The girls all laughed really hard. "Good one!" said the girl sitting next to him, who proceeded to slap him on the shoulder.

"Ow!" she said, "That hurt." She pulled away her hand and cradled it.

"Well, you shouldn't slap my right shoulder, or you'll hurt yourself," said Ed.

"Hey," said the girl sitting on the other side of the girl who had just slapped him, "Did you actually manage to accomplish the look of auto-mail with that get up?"

Startled, Ed jerked his head in her direction. "You know about auto-mail?"

"Duh!" all four girls said in chorus.

"We know all about you, Ed," said the girl in the passenger's seat.

"Wait, how do you know my name?" said Ed.

The girls laughed again. "Look, there are just as many fan girls of the FullMetal Alchemist series as there are boys," the girl in the driver's seat said, "But you sure do put up a great act. You look and act just like Ed."

Ed slapped his hand to his head and mumbled, "That's because I AM Ed."

The girls all laughed again. This was getting weird, thought Ed. Not only do they know all about me, but they don't believe that I am who I say I am.

Ed leaned back in his seat and looked out the window. I must've traveled just a few years into the future. Joe probably sold the story idea to someone, thinking we'd never meet up again. I can't really blame him though. The story's probably fascinating to people on this side of the Gate.

"You okay, Mr. Elric?" said the girl next to him.

"Yeah, I'm okay, I was just thinking to myself," said Ed.

"What about?" asked the girl.

"Let me ask you girls a hypothetical question," said Ed, "If you ever were to come face to face with the real Edward Elric, would there be any way that he could convince you of his identity?"

"Oh, awesome!" said the girl sitting next to him, "I wish I could meet him, he he he."

"If he did some alchemy, I'd definitely believe him," said the girl on the farthest end of the back seat.

"But alchemy can't be done on this side of the Gate," reminded Ed.

"Oh…right," the girl said.

"I haven't gotten that far in the series yet," said the driver, "So don't spoil it for me."

"Well, he'd have to know everything Edward Elric would know," said the girl sitting next to him, "So we could ask him questions."

"But I'd imagine that you girls would know all the answers," said Ed, "If you know them, so could anyone else."

Finally, the girl in the passenger seat spoke up, "We haven't yet invented any prosthetics quite as good as auto-mail. If his right arm and left leg were real auto-mail, then I'd be convinced."

The other three girls applauded her. "Good thinking, sis," the girl next to Edward said.

Edward sighed, "Would you girls actually be able to handle it if you met the real Edward? Are you sure that you would want that?"

"Of course we'd be able to handle it," said the girl next to him, "That's what I wish for more than anything in the world." The other girls agreed.

Edward sighed again, "Okay, just remember what you said."

With that, he pulled back the sleeve on his right arm. The girls gasped. His arm was made out of auto-mail.


	10. Ed's Song

**_Hi, everyone. Sorry that I took so long to update this story. I'd been working on an awesome story called "My Body, Your Soul". I've finished that story now, so I can come back to this one, though I'm also working on the sequel to that story. Feel free to check it out, as it's my most popular story by far._**

_**Hope that you like this chapter. Let me know what you think after you've read it.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist. Why do we say this on every chapter? Doesn't everyone already know this?**_

Everyone was silent for a minute of two after seeing Ed's auto-mail arm. Finally, the girl next to Ed shakily extended her hand and said, "Can I take a look at it?"

"Of course," said Ed, "If that'll help to convince you of my identity."

The girl grabbed his auto-mail arm and turned it this way and that, and ran her finger up and down all the various parts.

"Geez," said Ed, "You'd think you've never seen auto-mail before."

"I haven't!" exclaimed the girl.

"Oh…right," Ed said as he smacked his head with his free hand.

"It's unbelievable," said the girl after a moment of silence, "This is real auto-mail. There is no arm underneath it, so it's not a costume!"

"Then he's really Ed? Edward Elric actually exists?" asked the girl in the passenger seat.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you all along," muttered Ed.

"But if you're really Edward Elric," said the girl in the opposite side of the back seat from Ed, "How did you get here?"

Edward sighed. "It's a long story. How much do you already know?"

"We're familiar with what happened to you up until you came through the Gate," said the same girl.

"The first time or the second time?"

"The second time," said three of the girls at once. The fourth girl hadn't gotten that far in the series yet, but she wasn't about to blow her one chance of talking with Edward Elric himself. Ed sighed and told them the story.

"…And that's how I got here," Edward finished.

"Wow, what a story!" said the girl on the other side of the backseat. Edward took a good look at her for the first time since he'd hitched a ride with these girls. He noticed that she had glasses, blond hair, and a braid.

"Did you braid your hair to try and look like me?" asked Edward.

The girl blushed, and nodded her head. "I idolize you, Ed, we all do."

"This is sure a weird time I'm in." Ed sighed.

"Hey, we just entered Bend," the driver called out. The other girls started to get excited.

"What's so exciting?" asked Edward.

"Our trip is almost over," said the girl next to him, "And we can't wait to get out of the car."

"Why would you want to rush out of a nice car like this?" said Edward, gesturing towards the inside of the car.

"Nice?" said the girl next to him, "This is a cheap car."

"Hey, quit picking on my car, unless you want to walk!" said the driver. Edward chuckled.

Soon the car had pulled into a driveway. The girls and Edward got out and stretched.

"So, do you have anyplace that you need to go?" said the blond, braided girl.

"Not really," said Ed, "I'm pretty much just grabbing for clues wherever I land. I never know where I'm going to find them, since I'm not in my own world or in my own time."

"Would you like to come with us, then? We have a music lesson to get to," said the blond girl.

Edward shrugged. "Sure, I guess. I've got nothing better to do."

The blond girl go so excited that she bent down (she was taller, after all) and planted a kiss on his forehead. This made Ed stumble back a few steps while he said, "What was that for?"

The girl giggled. "Just got a little carried away, I guess."

Soon, the girls had their instruments loaded into the car: a keyboard, a guitar, a flute, and a clarinet. The five people hopped back into the car and drove to the music lesson.

"So, what's this music thing all about, anyway?" asked Ed.

The driver chuckled. "We're planning on starting an all-girl music group, but we have to learn how to play well first."

"Sounds interesting," said Ed, "How well can you guys play now?"

"Oh, so-so," the driver shook her hand back and forth. "We're not perfect, but we're getting better."

They arrived at the home of their music teacher, who came out to greet them. He spotted Edward. "Who is this?" he asked, extending his hand.

The girl that had always sat next to him said, "This is Edward. Edward, this is our teacher."

"Pleased to meet you," said the teacher, shaking Edward's hand. "Well, shall we all go inside?" The six people stepped inside the house and seated themselves in the spacious living room.

Edward listened as the girls practiced their pieces. They were quite good, actually. Edward was enjoying hearing them play immensely.

Then, he noticed that the girl who normally sat next to him was having some difficulty with her guitar. He might not be a music teacher, but maybe he could help a little.

He moved over to her and said, "It would be a lot easier if you held your hands like this." He repositioned her hands for her.

"You're right, that does feel better!" exclaimed the girl.

The teacher chuckled. "I owe you a debt of gratitude, son. I've been trying to explain that to her for I don't know how long, yet you explain it in five minutes."

Edward chuckled a little too. "It helps when you're practically worshipped by the one you're trying to teach." Everyone laughed. The music teacher didn't fully understand the meaning of what Edward just said, but he still thought it was funny.

"So, I take it you play the guitar?" asked the music teacher.

"A little," said Edward.

"You play the guitar?" said all four girls at once, which just caused the music teacher to laugh again.

"Show me!" said the guitar girl, handing her guitar to Ed.

"But," he protested, "The only songs I know how to play are these sad little songs I write when I'm feeling blue."

"You write your own songs?" said one girl.

"You sing?" said another.

"Show me!" said all four girls in chorus. The music teacher laughed again.

Ed could tell that he was outnumbered, so he shrugged his shoulders and took the guitar from the girl. He cleared his throat, strummed a few minor chords, and began his song.

_I never thought myself to be the kind that would fall.  
__I learned how to walk before I learned how to crawl.  
__But into these hands was thrust a burden so wide.  
__I'd have never been able to shoulder it without you by my side._

_So where are you now? I don't know where you are.  
__I can hear you calling to me from afar.  
__I need you here now. I can't live on my own.  
__Without you always by my side, I never would have grown._

_We traveled on our journey. We walked hand in hand.  
__Searching for the thing we lost, to reach the Promised Land.  
__But a dream that is attainable is not a dream at all,  
__For when we found the thing we lost, again we did fall._

_I may not be there now, but my spirit's still with you.  
__Blood is thicker than water, the saying still holds true.  
__I will find my way back home. You can hold onto that day.  
__For this is my greatest wish. Where there's a will, there's a way._

Edward finished singing the minor-key tune, and then proceeded to hand the guitar back to its owner. She didn't immediately reach for it. She and everyone else in the room had tears in their eyes.

"It's about Al, isn't it?" said the blond girl.

"Well, it's too Al, actually," Ed sighed, "I sometimes wonder if he hears it."

"Who's Al?" asked the teacher.

"It's his little brother," said the blond-haired girl, "They've been separated…and they're living far away from each other." She didn't particularly want to try and explain the whole story.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm sure you'll see him again," consoled the music teacher.

"I hope so," said Ed.

Just then, the teacher's teenage daughter walked into the room. She smiled at the girls, and then caught sight of Ed.

"Hi, Suzan," said the teacher, "This boy here is Edw-"

"EDWARD ELRIC!" she shrieked.

"Oh, you know him?" asked the teacher.

"He's only the most awesome person that ever existed!" shouted Suzan.

"Wow, he must be a celebrity of some sort," said the teacher, "He must be famous for his singing ability."

"HE CAN SING?" shouted Suzan once again, "SHOW ME!"

Ed put his hand on his face. This was going to be a long day.

_**Heh, okay, that song's still kind of rough, because I just wrote it yesterday, but I hope you liked it anyway. If I can ever find a way to record it and upload it, I'll let you know.**_

_**Did you know that Ed actually can sing? I didn't just make that up. I know that at least the Japanese version of Ed can indeed sing. If you get a hold of the album Hagaren Song File – Edward Elric, you can actually hear him sing. There's an album for Al and one for Roy Mustang too.**_

_**Oh, and just in case you guys haven't figured it out yet, Ed's in Oregon, okay? Heh, I can't understand the people who aren't from the west coast, they know nothing about geography it seems. Hehe…anyway, he's in Central Oregon right now, specifically in Bend, Oregon, which is the biggest town for hundreds of miles around. (About 60,000 people now.) It's my hometown, so I just had to mention it, heh. I don't live there anymore, but I wish I did. The future chapters will inform you a little bit of the interesting culture that Bend has to offer, and how Ed responds to it. Heh.**_

_**Ok, now, click that little button and review!**_


	11. Breaking the Spell

_**Here's the next chapter, where Ed begins his explorations of the strange and mystical land called Bend, Oregon. Yes, that place is weird, but it's my hometown. I really wish I was there! (Waah!) Hope that you enjoy the story!**_

**_Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist, but somebody at the computer behind me just sneezed. I don't know what that has to do with anything, but I thought I'd mention it._**

The music teacher laughed again. "Suzan, don't bother the poor boy. He gets enough trouble from these four." He motioned to the four girls in the room.

"But I may never get the chance to see Edward Elric again!" Suzan whined. She crossed her arms over her chest like a spoiled child.

The driver girl her hand on Ed's arm and gave him a look as if to say "I'll take care of this." She looked up at Suzan.

"Silly, girl, you know very well that Edward Elric isn't real. This kid is just dressed like him for the anime convention that's taking place somewhere around here soon."

Suzan pouted. The music teacher laughed. "So, Edward Elric is actually an anime character?" he asked. He turned to his daughter, who was still pouting like a baby, and said, "Suzan, anime characters don't actually exist."

"But he's dressed so well!" she motioned toward Edward, "He must be the real Edward!"

Edward decided that he could take it from here. The last thing he needed was another crazy fan girl handing all over him. "No, I'm not Edward Elric, though my name is Edward, strangely enough." He bit his lip. He wasn't used to lying, so he felt kind of guilty about it, but what else could he do?"

She looked a bit disappointed, but she soon got over it. After chatting a few minutes, she left the room.

"Phew, that was close," said Edward, wiping his brow with his hand. The music teacher laughed again. "What's so funny?" asked Edward, a tiny bit annoyed at this man who could never seem to stop laughing.

"I suppose that you're going to try and tell me that you're the real Edward Elric now," he said in between chuckles.

Edward thought for a minute, and then replied. "Well, that depends on whether you want me to try and tell you that or not." Edward smiled one of his mischievous smiles.

The teacher burst out laughing again, and then stood up, walked over to Edward, and slapped him a couple times on the back. "You're a barrel of laughs; do you know that, kid?"

Edward rubbed his brow while he said, "So are you," which just made the teacher laughed even harder.

Eventually, the music lesson was concluded, and everyone reassembled in the car. They were on their way back home when Edward suddenly gripped his chest. "Stop the car!" he called out.

The driver pulled over to the side of the read and stopped. She turned around and said, "What's the matter, Ed?"

"The spell's trying to take me again," said Edward, "But it's really weak this time. If it takes me, I don't think I'll even be put in another place. I think I'd be traveling forever, never stopping."

"Oh my goodness!" said the blond girl, "Isn't there anything you can do?"

"I don't know!" yelled Edward, shaking his head and gripping his chest tighter. "If it takes me, I could become a prisoner of time, but if I manage to break the spell, I could be stuck here forever."

"At least you'd have a chance to get back to your own world if you broke the spell," said the girl next to him, "You have to try!"

Edward nodded and closed his eyes. He needed to concentrate as hard as he possibly could. He gripped his chest tighter and gritted his teeth. Beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead.

"You guys need to restrain me, quick!" yelled Edward, "If I break this spell, I might thrash about for a few minutes from the aftereffects of it." Without question, the girls resituated themselves as necessary and grabbed hold of him. Normally, he didn't like being held in place like that, but this particular case was an exception.

His breath and pulse rate began to accelerate, and he cried out in pain. Breaking such a powerful spell without letting it wear off by itself, even in its weakest state like this, wasn't easy to do.

"Please, hold onto me!" cried Edward, "It's taking me!" Sure enough, he was starting to appear a bit translucent.

"We are holding onto you," said the driver girl, "But we're losing you!"

"Hold onto my spirit, not my body!" he yelled through the pain. He uttered a few more cries of pain, so the girls weren't able to ask him how to do that. They would just have to try to figure it out on their own.

They closed their eyes, and imagined their souls reaching out of their bodies into Edward's body, and grabbing hold of his soul. They felt some resistance, but they refused to give up.

Finally, Edward let out one last cry of pain, and then passed out. The girls opened their eyes. He was no longer translucent, and he was still breathing. He had successfully broken the spell, but it had been a lot harder than he had anticipated.

The girls went back to the driver girl's house and set him up in the guest room. They each took turns standing watch outside the room, so that they could know the instant he was awake.

Finally, during the blonde girl's watch, she heard a cough come from the room. She opened the door just as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asked, "You had us all quite worried."

Edward managed a weak smile, and said, "Sorry about that. Breaking that spell was a little harder than I had anticipated. I'm find now though, that to all of you." He yawned, shook his head, and stood up. The other girls came running up.

"Is he awake?" asked one girl.

"Is he okay?" asked another.

"I'm fine," said Edward, putting up his hands, "I'm just a little tired. Thanks for your help. I couldn't have broken that spell without you."

The girls all rushed into the room and started hugging him. He decided not to fight it this time. He was too tired.

"Why don't we go out to eat somewhere and celebrate his breaking free from the spell?" asked the blonde girl.

Edward chuckled. "Where would you want to go?"

"Why don't we go to Wild Oats?" asked the blond girl.

"What's 'Wild Oats'?" asked Edward. The girls laughed.

The girl who normally sat next to him explained, "Wild Oats Market is a health food super store. Bend has a lot of health food stores, even though it only has a population of about 60,000. Wild Oats has a great deli." The girl smiled, and Edward chuckled.

"I don't care where we go, you guys decide. I don't know anything about this world, this time, and especially this crazy town!" The girls laughed again. Yes, Bend was indeed a crazy town.

"Wild Oats it is then," said the driver, who then ordered everyone to pile into the car.

Within a few minutes, they had arrived at the supermarket, and had made their way back to the deli.

"Pick anything you want, Ed," said the blond-haired girl, "I'll buy it for you."

"I don't even know what any of this stuff is," said Edward as he looked at the menu, "None of the names make any sense."

"You're right, the names of their food items don't make any sense," said the blond-haired girl. "Why don't you try one of their pizzas…oh, wait, you don't like cheese."

Edward laughed. "Who said anything about cheese? It's milk that I hate, not cheese."

The girl smiled. "Oh, I see, then you might like pizza. Wild Oats has a lot of weird foods from other countries in the deli, but pizza is pretty popular everywhere and most people like it."

Edward shrugged. "Sure, I'll try it."

The girl placed their orders for the things they wanted. As soon as she had finished placing the orders, the other girls ran up.

"Hey, Ed," said the driver girl, "Since you're still so weak, we're going to make you drink this. We won't make you drink it again, we promise." The girl handed a small container full of a green liquid to Edward.

"You actually expect me to drink this?" he said.

"Yes," said the girl, "You need to get your strength up. Just drink it quickly, and it won't be as bad."

Edward looked into the girl's eyes and saw the determination and concern in them. He decided that it wasn't worth fighting her over it, and besides, she said that they'd only make him drink it once.

He took the green liquid and swallowed the whole shot in one gulp. It was fine until the aftertaste kicked in, which he reacted to by coughing and sputtering.

"That tastes terrible!" he exclaimed, "What was that?"

"That was wheatgrass juice," said the girl, "It's really good for you."

"Maybe so, but I don't plan on ever drinking it again," he said as he grabbed a container of water that one of the girls was holding out to him in an attempt to wash away the taste. "That tasted kind of like milk with an attitude."

The girls laughed, and then the blond girl said, "Yeah, it kind of does, come to think of it." Then, leaning closer so only Edward could hear, whispered, "Confidentially, I don't like that green stuff either."

Edward chuckled as he finished his water. He was wide awake and full of energy now. At least that stuff had done what they'd said it would. If it didn't taste so bad, maybe he'd actually take it once in awhile.

Everyone got their orders and sat down at a table to chat while they were eating. This was indeed a strange town, but quite interesting. He would have to explore more of it soon. Heck, he was going to be stuck here for a while.

While he was eating, Edward realized that he'd learned two very important things that day. One, he liked pizza. Two, he didn't like wheatgrass.

_**Ah, wheatgrass. I remember the stuff. My mom used to make me drink it unless I could create enough of a fuss to make her decide not to deal with my attitude. "Milk with an attitude" is really the only way I can think of to describe what it tastes like. Heh. I like milk though, unlike Ed, but I don't like wheatgrass. Hehe…Wild Oats used to carry this one veggie pizza that had artichoke hearts on it. If you've never tried a pizza with artichoke hearts on it, try it! It's so good that I'm drooling right now, just thinking about it. Why am I here in Indiana? I want to go back to Oregon and eat some decent pizza! Heh.**_

_**Anyway, hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Now, review!**_


	12. Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Edward finished eating his pizza and looked up at the girls. "Since I'm going to be stuck here for awhile, would you mind if I heard your names?"

"Oh my Gosh!" We never introduced ourselves?" said the girl that normally sat next to him. Edward shook his head and chuckled. The girl slapped her face, thinking she was such an idiot for forgetting something so basic.

"Well, my name is Jennifer," said the blonde girl.

"My name is Kathy," said the passenger-seat girl.

"I'm Donna," said the one who always sat next to him.

"And I'm Chris," said the driver girl.

"Jennifer, Kathy, Donna, and Chris," music Edward, "It's nice to finally have some names to go with the faces." The girls laughed.

"I'm sorry that we didn't introduce ourselves before," said Donna, "I guess that we didn't think you'd be around long enough to even care what our names were."

Edward chuckled. He understood that. He hadn't thought that he'd be around this long either, but he was. "So, what are some other interesting things about this town, besides pizza and wheatgrass?"

"Don't forget carrot juice," said Jennifer, giggling.

"I think I'll pass on that," said Edward, putting up a hand.

"Oh, come on, carrot juice doesn't actually taste too bad. It actually takes kind of good to me," said Jennifer.

"I still pass," said Edward. "What non-food-related things are there in this town that would be of interest?"

"Well," said Donna, "There's the Petersen Rock Garden where they have all these sculptures made out of rocks, and there's the Funny Farm, which is a farm that is…well…funny, and then there's…"

"How funny is it?" asked Edward.

"It's funny enough to really weird you out," said Chris, "The guy that put that place together is an absolute NUT!"

"Why don't we go there, then?" asked Edward, wiping his mouth with a napkin, "It's been awhile since I've seen a town as unique as this one."

Suddenly, Edward doubled over in pain. "What's the matter?" shouted Donna.

Edward didn't reply. Images were again flashing through his head. He saw Winry talking with a strange woman, and then in another image, he saw Winry talking to Al and his father.

What's going on? Thought Edward, Why am I seeing these things? Why does this keep happening?

Finally, the images stopped, and the pain went away. Edward sat back up.

"What's the matter? Are you okay?" asked Jennifer.

"I'm fine now," said Edward, "I don't actually know what was happening there. It happened to me once before, but I don't know what's going on."

The girls were about to ask more questions when Edward stood up and said, "Come on, let's go."

Kathy chuckled behind his back. "He's sure bossy, isn't he?"

Chris nodded. "Good ol' Edward."

Shortly afterward, the car carrying the five individuals pulled into the parking lot of the Funny Farm. Edward couldn't help but start laughing when he saw that there was a wooden cutout of a cow in front of their parking space which read, "It's no bull, this space is better than the udder."

He looked around and saw another cow cutout with a bunch of circles cut out of it. The text on that one said, "Holy cow." Another cow cutout said, "Eat chicken." Edward shook his head in amusement. He's just barely begun to see this place, but he already had concluded that Chris's statement that the guy who ran this place was nuts was an understatement.

"Well, shall we go in?" said Chris. She gestured to the building in front of them. "You have to go through the antique shot to get to the park." Edward understood now. The guy didn't charge admission for the park. He simply earned his living from the antique shop.

They headed into the ship, and within a few moments, found themselves outside again, standing on a yellow brick road. (Yes, I'm serious!) Two of the girls broke into singing "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" and began skipping down the path.

Edward shook his head and chuckled. He didn't get the joke, but this was still amusing to him.

After walking a little way, Donna gestured towards the wall of the building they were walking past and said with the air of a tour guide, "Are here we have the agitator wall."

Sure enough, the wall was covered with agitators from washing machines. Not only that, but they were painted with bright hues of blue, red, yellow, green, and some even with polka dots.

Edward chuckled. "This person's a NUT!"

"Told you," said Chris. "You haven't seen the worst of it yet."

"How can it get any crazier than this?" asked Edward.

"You've only just begun to see the craziness in this person's head," said Chris.

They walked on a way, when Edward heard some barking coming from somewhere behind him. He turned his head and saw a dog…up on the roof of the building!

"How did that dog get up there?" asked Edward.

"Oh, he lives up there," said Jennifer, not in the least bit surprised, like she was used to it.

"He LIVES on the roof?" cried Edward, "How does he eat?"

"Heh, he CAN get down, you know," said Kathy, "But he prefers to stay up there. Some of the tourists like to feed him hot dogs though."

"How do they do that when he's on the roof?" asked Edward.

Donna went over to the wall and grabbed at a string. "They use this," she said. She showed him that it was actually a pulled system with a plate tied to it that could carry the hot dogs up to the roof for the dog.

Ed slapped his hand over his face. "Oh man, this is crazy!"

"Yep, it's quite crazy," said Donna calmly. She was used to it too.

"So, what's next?" asked Ed.

"How about the bowling ball garden?" asked Jennifer, "That's my favorite spot."

"BOWLING BALL garden? When the heck is a bowling ball garden?" Even though Edward was acting flustered, he was actually enjoying this immensely, even if this place was nuts.

"Come on, we'll show you," said Kathy.

As they walked down the path, they came across a giant chess set with three-foot tall pieces. Jennifer stopped.

"Hey, Ed, do you play chess?"

Ed put his hands on his hips, and said, "Of course I play chess! I bet that I could beat you easily."

"You're on!" said the girl. The two quickly took their places with Jennifer playing the white pieces and Ed the black. Ed grinned evilly and rubbed his hands, very confident that he could win.

Jennifer chuckled and made her first move, which incidentally, took both of her hands and a little walking to do, being such a big chess set.

Edward smirked and made his move. Jennifer chuckled and made her move. Edward laughed and made his move. Jennifer smirked and made her move.

Donna yawned. "They're going to take a while. Why don't we just go on ahead?"

"Hey, wait for us!" said Jennifer.

"Hey, come back, I haven't beaten you yet!" said Edward.

Soon, they were in the bowling ball garden. Edward looked around and saw a whole bunch of bowling balls on green stick sticking up out of the ground.

"What the heck?" said Edward.

"They're growing bowling balls, can't you see?" said Chris, in an all-too-used-to-it tone.

Edward threw his hands in a scoffing gesture and mumbled something about a place like this making one go crazy.

They walked through the bowling ball garden, and came upon a little house with a couple legs sticking out from underneath it. Obviously another Wizard of OZ reference, but Edward didn't catch it. He thought it was funny though.

Then, they came to a tree that had a bunch of trophies tied to its branches, a trophy tree. Okay, that was weird. Edward turned around and noticed a two-headed giant with a bowling ball in one hand. He shook his head again. This place was just too weird.

Finally, they finished looked at everything in the park, and the sun was starting to set. So, they all assembled in Chris's car, and started back to her house.

"So, what did you think?" asked Chris.

"It was extremely bizarre," said Edward.

"But did you like it?" asked Chris.

"Strangely, yes," said Edward, "But I don't know why." He chuckled.

Chris chuckled too. "I know, it makes no sense, but that place is so much fun. It lets one temporarily forget about their cares and concerns."

Ed leaned back into his seat and looked out the window at the ever-darkening desert sky. Tomorrow, he thought, I'll get back to thinking about my cares and concerns. Don't worry, Al, I'll find a way back to you.


	13. It's in the Cards

_**This chapter has a few more of the interesting things about Bend in it, heh, though it's still got a story to it. It's not merely a description of setting. I could talk all day about Bend, since I miss it, so I have to be careful to not turn this story into a mere description of Bend, Heh. Hope you like this chapter.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist. Heck, I'm not even sure if I'm that creative. I'm not good at making up my own characters. Okay, well, Katie in "My Body, Your Soul" was an original character (hey, originally, she was. I didn't always plan on having her be Al's reincarnation), so I guess that I can sort of make up my own characters, but I'm not nearly as good at it as Arakawa. Maybe someday…**_

Edward was eating breakfast the next morning back at Chris's house while Chris was bustling about, getting ready for work. Christ finally ran up to Edward, huffing and puffing, obviously in a hurry.

"I'm sorry that I won't be able to keep you company today, Edward," she said.

Edward waved her off. "Don't worry about it. I'm big enough to take care of myself."

Chris chuckled. "I know, but I still feel bad about leaving you here all alone."

"I wouldn't worry too much," said Edward, "I'll probably spend today exploring this town."

"That's a good idea," said Chris. "I have a bicycle in the garage if you want to use that to get around, since we don't have a bus system." Edward didn't actually know what a bus system was, but he didn't bother to ask, since she already said they didn't have it.

"There's an extra key under the doormat," said Chris, reaching into her purse, "And here's a little spending money. Spend it wisely; I can't afford to give it to you too often." She handed him a crisp, new, fifty-dollar bill.

She rushed around nervously for a few more moments, trying to get her life organized before she went to work.

"Edward," called Chris, "I just remembered this; don't ride your bike on the sidewalks downtown. They don't like that. Just walk your bike there."

"Gotcha," said Edward.

"Oh, and Edward," she said again, "If you run into one of those circular intersections, that's called a 'roundabout'. Be careful going through those. The cars don't stop."

"I'll be careful," said Edward patiently.

"Oh, and another thing, Edward," she said, "If for some reason, you're out after dark, don't ride the bike unless you get a light on it. You could get pulled over by a cop otherwise."

"Okay, I'll take note of that," said Edward.

"Oh, and another thing, Edward…"

Edward put up his hand. "I'll be FINE. Your world is different, but not THAT different from mine. I'll figure things out. I'll be alright, just relax."

Chris smiled. "I just want to make sure that you stay safe."

"Thanks, I do appreciate it," said Edward, "But you're going to be late for work if you keep talking to me."

"Oh, that right! Sorry, I gotta run. Have a nice day, Ed. Bye!" She quickly grabbed her things and frantically ran out the door. Edward shook his head. Chris was a crazy girl, alright.

After Ed had finished eating, he went into the garage and dug out the bike. Normally, he would have just walked, but this town had a lot of empty space for being a town of only 60,000 people. In just the little bit of traveling he'd done in the car, he'd noticed how spread apart things seemed to be in this town.

He quickly double-checked everything to make sure it was in working order, and then he set out. Being such a hot, dry, summer day, he decided against wearing his jacket, since that would just be an extra layer. In the desert, even thin layers count. His black clothes were a little bothersome, but he didn't really have much choice.

The street that Chris lived on, Newport Avenue, was a four-lane road plus a turning lane that occasionally appeared. This made it one of the main streets in town. Edward had figured out from his travels in the car that if he could find a four lane road, he could find his way around. There weren't that many in Bend. He could also figure out where he was by judging the position of Pilot Butte, since that little cinder cone could be seen from most places in Bend.

The breeze felt good against his face as he was riding. There was just nothing quite like a warm desert breeze. He was tempted to close his eyes and enjoy the feeling, but he knew better than to do that. Besides, he could see one of those "roundabouts" up ahead.

Instead of having the intersecting streets cross each other, all the streets would connect to a circular stretch of pavement, and people would simply drive around the circle until they reached their desired street. Because of the efficiency of this design, one didn't usually need to stop before entering the intersection. Of course, it could be dangerous for cyclists or pedestrians that weren't on their guard.

When Edward reached the roundabout, he stopped and looked to make sure that no one was coming, then stepped down hard on the pedal and raced to the other side. He didn't want to be stuck in that roundabout any longer than he had to.

After riding down Newport Avenue for some time, he came to a section of town that had cobblestone sidewalks. Edward chuckled. This sure was a backwards town to have cobblestone sidewalks alongside paved streets. He hadn't been in this world for very long, but he knew that it was supposed to be the other way around.

He spotted some letters painted onto the end of one of the sidewalks which was the only part of the sidewalk made out of concrete which read, "No skating. Walk your bike." This must be downtown, thought Edward. He hopped off the bike and walked it over the cobblestone sidewalk.

This was an interesting side of town, as there were all sorts of little shops and restaurants placed along both sides of the street. The atmosphere here was very festive and pleasant. He would have to spend a little more time here later. Right now, thought, he was looking for clues. He needed to find something, anything, that might be a clue as to how to get home.

After walking for some time, he finally reached normal sidewalks, though they still said to walk your bike, so he did. He wanted to see what else was around.

A building that had more window than wall in its construction came into his view, and it was just ahead of him. He would check that building out. It couldn't hurt.

When he finally reached the building, he saw that it was the Deschutes County Library. "A library, huh?" mused Edward to himself, "I wonder why the libraries in this time and place carry." He parked his bike and walked over to the front door.

It was a bit surprising to him when the large glass doors sled open by themselves, but he didn't freak out about it. An electric eye wasn't beyond his comprehension, being a scientist himself.

He soon figured out that the adult non-fiction section was on the second story of the building, so he began to walk up the stairs. He stopped for a moment at the landing where the stairs turned to admire the window they had positioned there. One couldn't actually see through it, since it was a glass sculpture. It had the representation of currents carved into it. Whether they were supposed to be wind or water currents, Ed didn't know, but it was a beautiful sculpture, nonetheless. He then turned and continued climbing the stairs.

He soon reached the top of the stairs, and proceeded to browse through the aisles of books. The aisles were labeled, so that helped a lot, especially since he hadn't a clue as to how to use a computer.

The section on Philosophy caught his eye. Things like alchemy and magic would probably be thrust into that section, since they hadn't really developed them in this world. He stepped into the aisle and browsed the books.

Indeed, there were books on alchemy, but they didn't actually hold any real value to him, being just books of philosophy. The magic books weren't much use to him either. Strange that, he thought, I know that magic can be done in this world.

He heard a chuckle come from somewhere near him. He glanced over to see a girl looking at him. She had a book around Tarot reading in her hands.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look just like Edward Elric?" she asked.

He smiled. No, he wasn't going to tell her who he was. It would take too much explanation.

"I suppose I do," said he, "But I dress this way because I want to, not because of how anyone else dresses."

She chuckled. "That's good, but it's funny that your style just happens to coincide with his."

Edward smirked. She had no idea.

She extended her hand. "My name's Pam, and what might yours be?"

Edward chuckled and took her hand, "My name's Edward, believe it or not."

"Oh my goodness, that's hilarious!" She laughed right there in the library. Oh well, it wasn't the quietest library anyway.

"So, may I ask what you're looking for?" asked the girl.

Edward shrugged. "I don't know, exactly. I was kind of hoping to find a good reference on magic, but they don't appear to have one here."

She nodded understandingly. "Good reference books on metaphysical subjects are hard to find." She looked down at her book. "Would you like a tarot reading? I need the practice, so it would be free." She smiled.

Edward shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not? I've got a little time to kill."

"Why don't we head over to the park then? It's quieter over there."

Edward agreed, so Pam checked out her book, Edward grabbed his bike, and the two walked to the park, which was just outside of the downtown area with the cobblestone sidewalks.

They found a picnic table and sat down at it, facing each other. Thankfully, there was very little wind today, so the cards wouldn't be blown around.

"Now," said Pam, "Do you know how Tarot works?"

"Not exactly," said Ed.

"Basically, it helps one to connect to their psychic senses. The images on the cards are simply a key to unlock those senses."

"Interesting," said Edward, "I wonder what they'll say about me?"

"Well, here," said Pam, shoving the deck of cards to him, "Shuffle the cards and we'll soon find out."

Edward shuffled the cards until he felt comfortable with them. Then Pam told him to cut the deck into three stacks and to them reassemble the deck by putting the stacks back together in a different order.

"Okay, I'll take over now," said Pam. She took the deck and pulled the cards off the top of the deck, and placed them in a pattern on the table, ten cards altogether, keeping the cards facedown.

She set the rest of the deck down. "This is really weird," she said, "I'm already feeling something from the cards, yet I haven't even turned them over yet."

"What are you feeling?" asked Edward.

"I don't know," she said, "This has never happened before. It's almost like the cards really want to speak, like there's something different about you."

Edward chuckled. "Now I'm dying to know what they have to say."

Pam turned over the first card, which was the eight of cups. "You're on some sort of journey," said she, "And it involves leaving everything behind to see something even more important."

Edward nodded. "That's true." She turned over the second card, which was the two of swords.

"You're having difficulty figuring out what to do right now, and that's keeping you from finding what you're seeking." Edward nodded again. This girl was amazing!

She turned over the next card, which was the two of cups. "The two of cups in this position would seem to say that your goal is to be reunited with someone you love," said Pam. Edward gasped. How could she figure this much out?

She turned over the next card, the three of swords. She sighed. "So, you're suffering from a broken heart. I'm guessing that it's probably the separation from your loved one that's causing it." Edward nodded again.

Pam turned over the next card, which was The Hermit. "The impression I'm getting from this card is that you've recently been searching for answer to some deep question." Edward again confirmed this. Pam obviously didn't need confirmation that she was correct in order to do the reading, but he liked to encourage her. She was remarkably accurate!

The next card was The Tower. "You're going to have something completely unexpected happen soon," said Pam, "I'm getting the impression that it could work either for or against you, depending on what you make of it."

Pam flipped over the next card, which was the Prince of cups. She didn't say anything, and just stared at the card. Edward started to panic. "Is it that bad? What does it say?"

Pam chuckled. "No, the Prince of cups isn't a bad card. I'm just a little confused. It landed in the position that tells specifically about you, and the images I'm getting just don't seem to make any sense."

"Just say what you're seeing," said Edward, "I won't make fun of you, even if it's way off. You're still learning, so it's okay if you're not always right."

Pam breathed out and then said, "I'm getting images of you as…as Edward Elric."

Edward gasped. "How did you get that just from looking at this card?"

"I don't know," shrugged Pam, "But, like you said, I can be wrong sometimes, since I'm still learning."

Edward shook his head. "You're not wrong. You're right on target." Pam gave him a quizzical look, which Edward responded to by saying, "Never mind, I'll explain it after the reading, since I don't want you to lose your connection."

She nodded, and then turned over the next card, which was the seven of wands. "Someone close to you…no, two people close to you, are fighting just as hard to be reunited with you as you are to be with them."

"So that explains those two painful experiences…" muttered Edward.

"Excuse me?" said Pam.

"Oh…nothing," said Edward, snapping back to reality.

She flipped over the next card. It was the ten of cups. "You're obviously hoping that whatever you're going through will have a happy ending, though I didn't need the cards to tell me that, I could've just guessed." She chuckled.

"And now, for the final conclusion," said Pam as she flipped over the last card. Edward gasped. It was the Death card.

"Am I going to die?" asked Edward.

"No!" said Pam, "That's not what this card means at all. It's about change. It's about letting go of one thing, and starting something new. It means that you're about to begin a new phase in life."

"Is that good or bad?" asked Edward.

"The Death card can go either way, but I'm getting the same impression with this card as I did with The Tower. The results could be either positive or negative, depending on what you make of it. With the two Major Arcana cards denoting change in future positions, I'd say that a dramatic change in your life is imminent."

Edward sighed. "Change is what I want, but I want the right kind of change."

"It's up to you whether the change in your life is for good or bad," said Pam, "So try to make it work in your favor."

Edward chuckled. "Are you sure you're not charging me for this? I can't believe how accurate you are."

Pam smiled. "No, of course I'm not charging you for this. I'm just practicing on you. I still don't think I was that accurate though. What about that card in the you position that said you were Edward Elric? You said you'd explain that."

"Indeed, I did," said Ed. He pulled of the glove on his right hand, and drew up his sleeve, exposing the auto-mail. "Do you understand now?"

Pam didn't reply, and just stared. Edward Elric didn't really exist, did he? Was this boy really Edward Elric? How did he get here?

_**Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know if I was confusing about any of the details. Please review!**_


	14. A Clue or Two

_**Yeah, another chapter! Just what the doctor ordered! (Okay, maybe the doctor didn't order it. Maybe you didn't even order it. Who ordered it, anyway? We need to find out who ordered this chapter…Oh, that's right, I did! Heh.)**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist, of all things. You'd think I owned it though, the way I'm so obsessed with it. Heh.**_

Pam stared at Edward, dumbfounded, for several minutes without speaking. When she finally got the courage to speak, she said, "You are NOT Edward Elric."

Edward chuckled. "Yes, I am, even the cards said so. What would it take to convince you?"

Pam averted her eyes for a moment and licked her lips, like she was thinking. "I'm not really sure if I can be convinced. I don't think that Edward Elric actually exists." Edward sighed and shook his head. This really was annoying.

Pam looked back at him, and said, "Hey, don't look at me like that. Since you think you're Edward Elric, why don't you tell me how you got here?"

Edward proceeded to tell her everything that had happened since he'd traveled through the Gate. She listened carefully and nodded her head to indicate that she was paying attention.

"Well," she said, "Either you're telling the truth, or you have a great imagination."

Edward sighed again. He didn't really NEED to convince everyone of his identity, but it annoyed him to have everyone doubt him like this. "Is there any way I can convince you that I'm telling the truth?"

"There's one way," said Pam, "Perform a transmutation."

Edward placed his head in his hand and sighed. "You know why I can't do that on this side of the Gate."

"Yes," said Pam, "I do. I also know, according to your story, that alchemy can indeed be performed on this side of the Gate."

"But I don't know how!" Edward shouted, thrusting out his hands.

Pam chuckled. "Hey, relax; I never said that you couldn't have help, or that you had to do it without a circle. I know a little bit about magic, so maybe I can help you figure it out."

Edward sighed resignedly, "Very well, I'll try it if you'll help me."

Pam smiled, and then said, "Now, can you tell me exactly what happens when you try to perform a transmutation on this side of the Gate, with or without a circle?"

"It feels like there's a short-circuit somewhere," said Edward, "I can feel the energy, but it goes all over the place and can't be used. I can't even get enough useable energy to make the array light up, let alone transmute."

Pam nodded to indicate she was thinking. "It sounds like you need an object to channel some of that energy through."

"That's what that witch said," said Edward, "But what do I use?"

Pam reached into her purse and pulled out a chain necklace with a pendant attached. "I've been carrying this around for some time, because I just knew that I was going to run into someone that had need of it. Maybe that someone is you." She pushed the pendant toward Edward.

He took it in his hands and examined it. "This is a tiger-eye pendant," said Edward. "How will this help me?"

"Sometimes a stone can help one to channel energy. Tiger-eye doesn't resonate well with me, but I think it would for you. Why don't you put it on and see if you're comfortable with it?"

Edward slipped the chain over his head, and fingered the stone some more. "I do like this stone a lot, for some reason."

Pam smiled. "Then I was right; it resonates well with you. Try and channel your energy through that, and see what happens."

Edward asked Pam for a piece of paper and a pen. He drew up a simple transmutation circle, and placed it on the table in front of him. After taking a deep breath, he placed his hands on the paper, closed his eyes, and tried to focus his energy. He began to breathe hard and rapidly, as he was indeed channeling energy, and it was stronger because of the stone, but the short-circuiting problem was still there.

Finally, he stopped to catch his breath. He shook his head. "It's no use," he said.

"That's not the Edward Elric I know, giving up so easily," said Pam.

Ed snapped his attention to her, and said, "Listen, I've been trying for months without success."

"You haven't failed unless you've failed to try," said Pam.

Ed sighed and groaned. He was tired of this.

"Wait," said Pam, "Maybe there's something wrong with the transmutation circle itself."

"How could there be anything wrong with it?" said Ed, "I do know what I'm doing when it comes to drawing arrays."

"I'm sure you do…on your side of the Gate," said Pam. "Come to think of it, none of the magic or anything we can do on this side of the Gate uses such complicated things as most of those arrays are. Maybe they're just too complicated."

Edward's eyes flew wide open. That was one thing that had ever occurred to him. Maybe the energy on this side of the Gate was so confused that it required simple arrays to avoid the short-circuiting effect. That lady at the metaphysical shop had used a simple pentagram to call upon that same energy. Of course, he couldn't use a pentagram, since he didn't know magic, but there might be a simple transmutation circle he could just, just possibly.

He relayed these thoughts to Pam, and asked her if there was any symbol she knew of that might possibly work.

"Hmmm…" she said, "I understand why you can't use a five-pointed star…can you use a six-pointed star?"

"Maybe," Edward shrugged, "I don't really know, but a lot of transmutation circles have six points."

Pam reached into her purse again and pulled out another chain and pendant. "I don't know why I've been carrying this around, since it's of no use to me. I just felt, like with that stone, that sooner or later I'd run into the person who needed it." She shoved the pendant towards Edward. He picked it up and examined it.

"This is called the Star of David," said Pam, "It's the symbol used on the nation of Israel's national flag." She paused. "Come to think of it, Israel has some people in its history that were reported to be miracle workers. Moses was even part of their history, and you said you saw him perform alchemy."

Edward nodded as he fingered the simple, six-pointed design. "Maybe those miracle workers were actually alchemists." He put the pendant on, alongside the tiger-eye pendant. "I'll try again," he said. He took a deep breath, and once again closed his eyes.

This indeed was a different sensation, though the energy was still scattered. It wasn't short-circuiting anymore though. He concentrated harder, trying to channel the energy through the stone pendant and the star, which increased his need for air, so he began to hyperventilate.

He kept trying for a few minutes to create some physical effect, but finally had to quit because he got dizzy. He placed his head on his forehead to stabilize himself as he said, "I can't seem to cause any noticeable physical effect. I guess that I won't be able to make you believe me."

Pam smiled, then said, "I do believe you, Ed."

Edward took his hand off his forehead and stared at her. "Why do you believe me all of a sudden?"

Pam chuckled. "Well, you may be having trouble controlling the energy on this side of the Gate, but you still managed to summon up enough to make the star pendant glow."

"It actually glowed?" said Edward, excitedly, "Do you mean that I'm actually getting somewhere?"

Pam chuckled again. "It means that you are well on your way to figuring out how to use alchemy on this side of the Gate. I would expect nothing less from you."

Ed smiled. "I-I don't know how to thank you for all your help."

Pam waved him off. "Don't worry about it. I'm only too happy to help. I'm a big fan of yours, and I want to see you get back to Al."

Edward shivered. "It's kind of creepy that everyone in this time seems to know everything about me."

"Not everyone," said Pam, "Or you'd be having problems with crowd control. You're just running into people that do happen to know you." Pam paused for a moment, and then asked, "Can I take you out to eat somewhere? I'd never dreamed that I'd actually get to meet Edward Elric."

"Sure," shrugged Edward while chuckling, "Who am I to turn down a meal?"

"That's the Edward I know." She stood up and pinched his cheek as she walked by him, which caused him to make an annoyed face. She laughed. "Well, are you coming?"

He quickly fell into step beside her. One didn't need to ask him twice when it came to food.

_**Yeah, he's starting to figure a thing or two out! Heh. Wonder how long it'll take him to figure everything out. Even I don't know, actually. I'm just writing this as it comes to me. Heh.**_

_**Anyway, hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review, as that encourages me to update sooner than I otherwise would!**_


	15. A Simple Transmutation

**_Hey, everyone, welcome back! I managed to get another chapter written up, so I hope you like it. I wrote it the other day while I was at the laundromat, since that's the only place I can go to late at night (or early in the morning, if you will) and utilize their light to write by. (I still don't have electricity, but I've got a job now, so that should change soon.) I sometimes write by candlelight, but when I'm surrounded by darkness, I get sleepy sooner, and that throws my whole schedule off. Heh._**

**_Anyway, hope that you enjoy this chapter. Leave me a review after you're done reading it, okay?_**

**_Disclaimer: Need I say it? I seriously, absolutely, positively do NOT own FullMetal Alchemist! (Man, I must be getting sleepy. It took me several tries just to spell "Disclaimer". Hehehe.)_**

"What kind of food do you like, Edward?" asked Pam, trying to decide on which restaurant to go to.

"I'm not really familiar with the food on this side of the Gate," said Edward. "I'm open to trying just about anything though."

Pam thought for a minute, and then suggested Chinese food. Of course, Edward agreed, since he didn't know one thing from the other. So, they walked a few blocks, and found the Chinese restaurant.

After Pam had placed the order, since Ed hadn't a clue, and the server had brought them their food, they began to eat. Poor Ed was having a hard time though. Oh, it wasn't the food that was the problem, it was the stupid fork.

He threw the fork onto his plate and was about ready to tear his hair out. "I hate forks! I don't think I'll ever get used to them. Haven't the people on this side of the Gate ever heard of chopsticks?"

Pam chuckled. "The people on this side of the Gate know about chopsticks, but they're only used in certain countries. You're lucky that we're in a Chinese restaurant." She then called to the server and asked her to get Ed some chopsticks, when she promptly did. When she handed Ed the chopsticks, he let out and audible sigh of relief. Now he knew what to do.

He snapped the chopsticks apart like a pro, and immediately began eating with them. Even the server was surprised at how well he used them.

"He's the first person I've met from this country that could use chopsticks so well," she said in a thick Chinese accent.

Pam chuckled. "Yeah, well, he's not from around here."

The woman looked confused. After all, Ed looked European…well, except for his eyes, and she didn't know of any European countries that used chopsticks.

"I know it's none of my business, but may I ask where you're from?" asked the woman.

"I'm from a little country that you've probably never heard of," said Ed, still stuffing his face. Hey, he was hungry, and the food here was darn good!

"What's the name of it?" asked the woman. "Sorry, I'm just curious," she quickly added to avoid offending him.

Edward chuckled. "Hey, it's okay, I understand your curiosity. I'm from a little country called Amestris."

The woman shook her head thinking…no, she hadn't heard of that country before. A gasp was heard from the next booth though, and a teenage girl turned around and said, "Did I hear someone mention Amestris?"

Ed placed his face on the table and covered his head with his hands. "I'm not here," he said. Pam couldn't help herself and started laughing really loud at his behavior, which only drew more attention to their table. The girl from the next table came over to their table and shrieked.

"That isn't…no, he couldn't be…he doesn't really exist…does he?"

Pam was still laughing uncontrollably, and Edward sighed and sat up. He might as well face yet another fan. Why did he have to have so many fans?

"Why are there so many fan girls in Bend?" asked Edward.

Pam shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't even know there were this many until you showed up."

Edward sighed and put his head in his hand. "Okay," he said to the new girl, "Let me answer your questions before you ask them to save time. Yes, I'm Edward Elric. Yes, I came through the Gate. No, I can't do alchemy on this side of the Gate, though I'm learning. The reason that I'm here now is a long story, but yes, I'm real. I told someone my life story, and he apparently had something to do with the television series made about me."

The girl stood there, not saying anything, so Edward decided that since she wasn't doing anything, he'd just continue eating. He, he was still hungry, after all. He picked his chopsticks back up, and started eating again. This, the girl reacted to.

"You-You use those so well…too well."

Pam chuckled. "Well, he's not very good at using a fork."

Ed shot a glare at her. "Hey, I wasn't raised using a fork like you were!"

Pam put up her hands in self-defense. "Whoa, calm down, Ed! I didn't mean it as an insult, merely as an explanation." Ed sighed and went back to his food. Yep, that food was important.

"He really does act like Edward Elric," said the girl, "But how did he get here?" Ed shook his head indicating that he wasn't in the mood to tell the story again. He'd told it enough times already. Pam sighed and told the story, telling it all the way from the beginning, since the server was still standing there, and she'd never heard of Edward Elric. Maybe she would have had she been from Japan, but she was from China, so she hadn't.

"Is this story true?" asked the server. Both Pam and Edward nodded. Ed was just finishing the last bite of his meal. Pam's story had taken long enough, so he'd had plenty of time to finish.

The server and the girl still weren't exactly sure whether to believe the story or not, but they found the story quite interesting. Just then, the manager poked his head out from the kitchen and said, "Get to work, or you're fired!" The woman panicked and jumped into action.

"I'm sorry, I've got to go!" said the woman in a panicked voice. "I can't afford to lose this job." She rushed off, and hurried about, trying to make up for lost time.

Ed shook his head. "Poor thing. Her boss shouldn't treat her that way." Pam and the other girl nodded their agreement.

After a few minutes, the little group heard a small crash. They looked up to see their server standing up, looking down at a broken plate. She had a panic-stricken look on her face, and tears were running down here face. "He's going to fire me for this, he's going to fire me," she was muttering.

Ed couldn't take that. It was only a little accident that anyone could do. She shouldn't be punished so severely, especially being such a good server. He suspected that her boss was taking advantage of the fact that she wasn't native to this country to cause her so much stress.

Ed stood up and walked over to the broken mess. He wasn't sure what he could do, but he figured that he could at least try to help. Repairing a broken plate was only a simple transmutation. He could handle that, couldn't he?

He knelt down on the floor, and pushed all the pieces close to each other. He then placed his hands just outside the mess and concentrated. Okay, Ed, he told himself, you can do this. Just focus the energy. Gather enough energy, and direct it forward. That's all you have to do. Come on; it's a simple transmutation.

Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he began hyperventilating again. Why was alchemy so hard to perform on this side of the Gate? Then, the Star of David around his neck started to glow, but he continued to concentrate, trying to direct the energy forward.

Finally, he heard a small explosion, which he knew from experience meant that he'd succeeded. He opened his eyes and saw a complete, whole plate. He had successfully performed a transmutation! He'd performed alchemy on this side of the Gate!

He reached down a picked up the plate. He wearily stood up, and handed it to the server. "Here you go, now you won't lose your job."

The woman, as well as the fan girl and all the customers in the restaurant stared dumbfounded. "Th-Thank you…" the woman managed to say.

"It's my pleasure," Ed said, just before his knees buckled and he started to fall. Fortunately, Pam caught him before he hit the floor.

"Don't worry," Pam said to the server, "He's just tired. He would have worm himself out anyway, so please don't blame yourself. He'll be okay as soon as he gets some rest."

Pam carefully laid Edward down in the booth at her table, and scratched her head. "I wish he would have told me where he was staying before he caused himself to pass out like that."

"You don't know?" said the surprised fan girl.

"No, of course not. I just met him today, you know," said Pam.

"Then, how do you know he's staying anywhere?" asked the girl.

"He had a bike with him, and I highly doubt he brought that through the Gate with him," said Pam.

"Good point," muttered the girl, "I guess that we won't know until he wakes up. What should we do until then?"

Pam shrugged. "I don't know…Take him to my house, I guess. You keep an eye on him, and I'll go bring my car up. It'll take me a few minutes, since I left my car over by the park."

The girl agreed, so Pam left him in her hands while she went to get her car. She soon pulled her car up in front of the restaurant, and carried Edward out of the restaurant with the help of her new fan girl friend, and carefully placed him in the backseat.

Back at her apartment, she laid him on her bed and threw a quilt over him. His hair had gotten really messed up from the whole ordeal, so she gently brushed it out of his face.

"It's unbelievable, isn't it?" mused Pam, "That we, of all people, get the opportunity to meet Edward Elric personally, yet we didn't even know he really existed!"

"I know, it's incredible," said the other girl. "I'd never even dared to dream that this would ever happen. I almost don't want him to go back home. I want him to stay right here."

Pam chuckled. "I know the feeling. I kind of wish that could be the case as well, but that would make Edward so unhappy, and his happiness is a lot more important to him than my selfish wants."

"True, very true," said the other girl, as she brushed some more hair off of Edward's face. "Edward, I hope that you'll find happiness."

**_Hope you liked the chapter, now please review, and I might consider updating sooner! The FullMetal Alchemist series is about over on TV, isn't it? If that's so, then I hope that I start getting more readers (and consequently, more reviews!) I understand why people wouldn't want to necessarily read this until they'd finished the series, but once they finish the series, they won't have an excuse! Heh._**


	16. Breaking the Illusion

**_Hey, everyone! Welcome back! Guess what? I just got myself a new toy! Hehehe...my mom gave me a little digital voice recorder that she had that she no longer used, so I decided, "What the hey, I could use this to help me write my stories faster." Yep, it definitely helps me to write my stories faster, but, for the moment while I'm learning how to take dictation, it slows down my typing speed. Of course, in the long run, it'll be better all the way around, because I'll be able to update much more often than I do now, but I'll be slowed down a little by this thing until I learn how to type and listen at the same time, hehe._**

**_Anyway, that's the reason that this chapter is a little shorter than usual. It was going to be about twice as long, but it turned out that I could easily cut it in half, and save myself the unnecessary worrying of "Do I have enough time left on the computer?" So, yeah, the next chapter will be completely voice dictated too. Heh. Look on the bright side though, that means that the next update will be quite soon! Hehe._**

**_Yikes! What a long author notes section! I'd better quit this. Hope you enjoy the chapter._**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist. I don't see any point in coming up with a witty comment right now, so don't ask. Oh great, I just put one there! Darn!_**

"Time and space are an illusion," Winry mused to herself, "Spirit transcends all." Ever since that strange encounter that she had had with that mysterious woman, she had been trying to find a way to get herself through the Gate.

Spirit was spirit, no matter whose spirit it was. Even though she wasn't an alchemist, she still had spirit, the same kind of spirit that Edward had. She figured that maybe, just maybe, one might be able to do what one didn't know they couldn't do. That was something she had up on Ed.

Naturally, she couldn't perform alchemy. That required much too much study and it made no sense to her. So, instead she decided that she would try studying something simpler, like perhaps magic, or something that would accomplish the same effect.

Winry pulled out a book of spells. She read off several spells and finally concluded with one that ended, "This is my will, so mote it be." She sighed. Would any of these even work? Would they get anything accomplished that she wanted done? And what about the equivalent exchange that Edward was always talking about? Would it be required of her if she went through the Gate? What could be equal to her?

Wait, something COULD be equal to her. What about the other "her", her double, on the other side of the Gate? She wanted Ed and herself back together just as much as she did. Maybe she would be willing to cooperate. She might as well give it a try.

She reached out in thought to her twin on the other side of the Gate. (Winry,) she said, telepathically, (I thought of something that just might possibly work. But I need you to hear me out. It won't work without you agreeing to it.)

(I'm open to listening,) said the other Winry. Winry spilled out the whole plan before the other Winry. The other Winry seemed quite intrigued by the whole idea. Go through the Gate? Was it really possible for someone that didn't know either magic or alchemy? It was certainly an interesting thought. And if it gave Winry or Ed the possibility of getting back together, at all, she might consider it.

(So tell me everything that you know about this plan of yours,) said the other Winry.

(Basically, we would be switching places, more or less. You would come through to this side of the Gate to replace me, while I would go through to your side to replace you, and somehow, during the course of my going though, I would somehow direct my energy towards finding Edward.) said Winry, a little bit unsure of herself.

(It's not a very thought out plan,) said the other Winry, (But it might work.)

(Yes, it might,) said Winry, (One oftentimes can do what they don't know that they can't do.)

(True that,) laughed the other Winry. (You find out exactly what you need to have us both do, and get back with me.) Winry agreed to do so as soon as she had the information.

She studied really hard for the next few days, reading every book on magic she could get her hands on. Naturally, none of the spells she found were actually suitable, as nobody but alchemists ever tried to summon the Gate. But, she knew that that "Gate" wasn't "The Gate of Alchemy". Heck, Wrath even always said that it didn't require alchemy to open the Gate. So, she was going to try and summon the Gate without the use of alchemy. It made sense, didn't it?

Of course, as was said before, none of the spells that she found were useful to her; she was going to have to create her own spell. Of course, the process of figuring out how to do that made it a little tricky, because she wasn't exactly sure what words to use. But, she managed to throw together a hodgepodge of words and phrases that sounded like they might go together in order to accomplish her objective.

She sent them back telepathically to the other Winry, telling her to write them down. (Are we going to try these words then?) asked the other Winry.

(Well, I'm thinking that we'll try them, unless you think otherwise.)

(I don't know anything about spells or magic,) said the other Winry.

(Well, neither do I,) said Winry, (But, I just figured that we might as well give it a try, and see what happens.)

(That's kind of risky, isn't it?) said the other Winry, (We don't have a clue what's going to happen to us.)

(Yeah, I know,) sighed Winry, (But, I'm doing this for Ed.)

(Yeah, you're right. I'm doing this for Ed too,) said the other Winry.

(So, should we try it, or should we not?) said Winry.

(I guess we'll try it,) said the other Winry.

(Okay, then let's both stand and recite the words at the same exact time. Are you ready?) asked Winry.

(I'm ready,) replied the other Winry.

Together, the two girls both recited the words aloud.

_Let us transcend the barriers of time and space.  
__Take our spirits to another place.  
__Let us find the loved ones we have lost.  
__We will do this no matter what the cost.  
__Let us tear down the illusions, spirit is the only reality.  
__This is our will, so mote it be._

All of a sudden, Winry felt a powerful force open up in front of her. She was blinded by a bright white light, and she couldn't see anything for it. She soon found herself standing in a big void of nothingness, filled only by bright white mist. She found herself before a large doorway. She guessed that that must be the Gate that Ed was always referring to.

She reached her hand out and touched the door. It opened. She stared into the deep, dark void that was the Gate. She was going in there. Whatever it took, whatever it cost, she was going to find Ed. With that, she stepped into the Gate.

**_There, hope you liked the chapter. It might have been a little different than my normal writing style. My speaking style is a little different than my writing style. Hopefully, that discrepancy will soon resolve itself, once I get used to it. Heh. Thanks for reading, now please review!_**


	17. The Alchemist Meets the Mechanic

**_Yes, I finally updated! Hehehe...I had this chapter written for sometime, but not typed up. Phew! It took a long time to type, strangely enough, even once I actually sat down to type it out, it took a long time! Hope you like it though. It was only my second attempt at talking into my recorder, so it may not sound as good as some of my chapters from my other stories where I did the same thing. I was still getting used to it in this chapter. I can tell the difference, but I'm not sure if any of you can or not. Hehe._**

**_Anyway, hope you enjoy it._**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist. I would mention the keychains that I now own of FMA, but you'd probably just clobber me for constantly mentioning them, so I'll bypass that._**

Winry felt herself rushing through the Gate to some unknown destination that lay before her. Where was she going? She wanted to go to where Ed was. Think about Ed, she told herself, I'm going where Ed is. I'm going to go right to the exact spot where Ed is right now.

She continued to meditate on Edward. She would have his spirit pull her towards him. She felt another presence beside her. She turned and looked. A person that looked exactly like her rushed by. Was the spell working? Was that the other Winry?

The other girl turned and looked at her. She smiled. She waved, and left. The girl went back the way that Winry herself had just come from. That must've been the other Winry. The spell was working; at least, she hoped so.

Winry again set her gaze forward, now for her part. She had to get to Ed. Think about Ed, she told herself again, think about him.

Finally, she rushed up against what felt like the other side of the door. She almost felt like she hit it when it suddenly felt like she exploded right through it, and she found herself right in the middle of a freeway.

She ran to the side of the road and jumped over the edge when she realized that this was an elevated bridge. She grabbed hold of the railing and held on for dear life.

"Where the heck am I?" she said aloud to herself. "Did I make a wrong turn? Edward couldn't possibly be here, could he? What kind of place is this?"

After a few minutes of struggling, she finally managed to pull herself back up, and stand back on the side of the road. The cars were still rushing by, but for the most part, she was safe. She just had to avoid getting near the traffic, or causing anybody to crash.

She couldn't believe how fast those cars were moving. This was definitely a strange place. Those cars even looked funny. At least she knew what they were though. Well, she shrugged; I might as well at least get off of this bridge before I get somebody, maybe myself, killed.

She turned and walked the shortest way she could find down the ramp onto the level ground. The streets down there were still busy, but at least it was on level ground. At least she would be safer there.

She rushed to the sidewalk, since she knew that that would be a lot safer to walk on, and continued walking until she ran up against somebody.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she said as she bumped into the man, and knocked his groceries all over the place. "Here, let me help you pick those up."

She quickly rushed and picked up all the groceries she'd spilled, and handed them back to the man who was chuckling by now at her strange behavior. "I never expected to run into a pretty young girl today," he said with a smile.

Winry wasn't sure if she should take that as a compliment or clobber him with her wrench, but she decided to just give the guy the benefit of the doubt, and smiled at him. "Yeah, sorry about that," she said. "I guess that I was too deep in thought, and wasn't looking."

"Is there anything I can help you with?" asked the man.

"Yeah, actually, there is," said Winry. "I'm a little lost. What's the name of this town?"

"The name of this town is Bend," said the man.

"Bend?" said Winry, "That's a funny name for a town."

"Well, I guess it kind of is when you think about it," said the man, "I've lived here all my life, so I guess I never really gave it much thought. So where are you from?"

"I'm from a town called Rizenbul," said Winry.

"Where the heck is that?" said the man.

"Um…it's in a little place called Amestris," said Winry.

"Where the heck is THAT?" said the man.

"Um…never mind," said Winry. The man decided that he'd better drop it. "Oh, could I ask you one more question?" said Winry.

"Sure," said the man.

"Have you perchance seen a boy about so high," she held her hand out at about five feet, "And he has long, blond hair, and wears black clothes."

The man thought for a minute. "Hmmm…You know, come to think of it, I think that I saw somebody like that at the Chinese restaurant just a little while ago today."

"At a restaurant?" said Winry. "Where would that be?" The man pulled a receipt out of his pocket and drew a map on the back of it.

"This is about where I saw the kid," he said. "I don't quite understand what exactly happened there at the restaurant, but it seemed like he'd performed some sort of magic trick, or something."

Winry shivered. Magic trick? Maybe alchemy? That must've been Ed. That HAD to have been Ed. "Thank you," she said to the man. "You have a nice day."

"Thanks, you do the same," said the man, as he walked away.

Winry looked at the map. She was hoping that it was well drawn, because she knew nothing about this town, especially with the roads that actually went up over the ground. She analyzed the road she was on, and made a turn, heading in the direction that she assumed that the restaurant was.

"He's probably not still there now, but maybe I can get a hint, somehow or other," she mused to herself. After a few minutes, she had managed to get downtown, but she was completely lost. She had no idea where she was going. So, she managed to find the park. She sat down at a picnic table, and sighed. She didn't have a clue what she was doing, or where she was going. Maybe taking a break would help her clear her mind.

Just then, she heard a voice. "This…CAN'T be! Are you Winry Rockbell?" Winry looked up. She saw a girl looking into her eyes.

"Who are you?" said Winry.

"My name is Chris," said the girl. "Are you Winry?"

"How do you know my name?"

"Then you ARE her?" said Chris.

"Well, yeah, I'm Winry, but you still haven't answered my question. How do you know my name?"

"Well," said Chris, searching for an explanation without having to explain everything, "I…know Ed."

"You DO?" said Winry excitedly. "Where is he?"

"Well, I was just coming out to look for him. He left this morning when I had to go to work, and when I arrived back at home, he wasn't around, so I got a little concerned, and went to try and find out where he was."

Winry sighed and moaned. "That boy, he's never around when you need him."

Chris chuckled. "Yes, that's exactly how he is."

Winry shot her a nervous glance. "How is it that you know him so well? How long has he been here?"

"Uh…I'll explain it to you later," said Chris, "I don't think you'd understand just yet." Winry figured that if that girl was taking that kind of stance, maybe she wouldn't want to hear it just yet.

"Okay," Winry huffed, "Let's go and try to find that boy."

Chris chuckled. Not only had she finally gotten the chance to meet Edward, but now she'd gotten the chance to meet Winry too. Who was next, Al? The two wandered around aimlessly, calling Edward's name and looking around for anything that might give a clue. Suddenly, Chris spotted something.

"Hey, that's my bike!" she said, pointing to a bike rack over to the edge of the park.

"What's your bike doing here?" asked Winry.

"Well, I told Ed he could ride it, and he probably left it here."

"So, you mean that that means he's been here?" asked Winry.

"Probably so," said Chris. Chris proceeded to remove the bike from the bike rack, and started walking with it back to her car. Suddenly, another girl came running up to the two of them, almost out of breath.

"Hey, are you the owner of that bike?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Chris, "Who are you?"

"My name is Pam," said the girl. "Do you know a boy named Edward?"

"Do you know where he is?" asked Chris and Winry at the same time.

"Uh…yeah…" said Pam, hesitantly, noticing their overzealousness, and feeling a bit awkward from it. "He's resting over at my house, since I didn't know where he was staying.

"Why is he resting?" asked Winry excitedly, "What happened? Tell me what's going on!"

Pam sighed. "It's a long story." She proceeded to explain everything as they walked back to her car. "I'd be happy to take you there, if you want."

Winry turned to Chris. Chris looked at Winry. Chris then turned back to Pam, and said, "Well, I need to take car of my own car too. It's parked here, you know."

"Well, that's okay," said Pam, "Just follow behind me."

"But the bike will take up my whole car," said Chris, "What do we do about Winry here?"

"This is Winry?" asked Pam, excitedly. "How on earth did she get here?"

"Don't ask me," said Chris, "I haven't a clue. I just found her here at the park."

"Oh my goodness!" said Pam, "I thought only alchemists could get through the Gate! How did you get through?"

"To use your words," said Winry, "It's a long story."

"Well, you ride with me," said Pam, "I want to hear that story on the way over."

Winry chuckled. "Okay, sure."

The girls all loaded up in their respective cars, and drove off toward Pam's house. They soon arrived, and they walked into the house, and found the room where Edward was. He was awake now, and he was talking to Lisa, the young fan girl, who had stayed there to watch over him.

"That alchemical reaction must have caused some damage to my auto-mail," Winry overheard, "It's not functioning as well as it was. Winry's gonna kill me when I finally manage to get back."

Winry chuckled to herself. She stepped out into the room. "Need a good auto-mail mechanic?"

Edward looked up and gasped. How the heck had she gotten through the Gate? Was it even really Winry, or just someone that looked like her? This had been a long day, but it looked like it was going to get even longer.

**_Did you like it? I hope you liked it at least a little bit. Leave me a review, and I'll update sooner. The more reviews, the quicker the update, hehe. Reviews give me motivation to sit down and write, after all. Hope to see you around here again soon!_**


	18. The Following Spell

**_Hey, everybody! After how many years this finally gets updated? You can thank AdventureAddict for that. She's been looking through all my unfinished stories lately, and took it upon herself to help me finish as many as possible. So here is a chapter written by her in the hopes of helping to inspire me to finish this story, even though my writing style has improved so much since I started this story that I honestly couldn't see any future for it. I guess she does, hehe. Anyway, the hope is that I'll write the next chapter for it, but if not, she'll write it, and keep writing until I do get inspired. That's the idea anyway. Wish us luck!_**

**_Disclaimer: I dare not claim Ed as my own after all the crappy writing I've done in this fic. :P_**

Al snuck out of the house as quietly as he could, so as not to wake his father. He didn't want any chance of Hoenheim coming along and stopping him. Okay, he was being just as reckless and stupid as his own brother, but something needed to be done. For all anyone knew, Ed could be lying in a ditch somewhere, bleeding to death or something. Someone needed to go after him. And Al always was the one to get Ed out of trouble, after all.

He was able to find his way back to the metaphysical shop easily enough, since he could remember the last time he had gone there, when he and his father had been trying to figure out what had happened to Ed.

The shop was closed, obviously, since it was well past midnight, but like most shops around town, the woman had her home right above the shop, and there was still a candle flickering in the window. Al took a deep breath, then reached down and threw a small pebble up at the window.

After waiting a moment, a head poked itself out of the window, the same woman that Hoenheim had questioned before. Al waved sheepishly at her.

"Goodness, child, what are you doing out at this hour?"

"I need to talk to you," Al answered. The woman looked confused.

"Come back tomorrow morn!"

Al glanced up. There was a full moon out, part of why he had thought of sneaking out tonight, since it was the most light he would get for midnight adventures for a month. And that lady believed in witch practices, didn't she? Maybe he could bluff.

"I seek the full moon for protection," he tried. She looked surprised, obviously having not expected that to come from him. "And besides, it's the witching hour," Al added. He wasn't sure what the witching hour meant other than midnight, but he had overheard some people say it before, and it sounded good.

The woman seemed to think for a moment, then sighed and motioned for him to come in. Al gratefully nodded his appreciation and waited for her to come downstairs to unlock the door.

Al couldn't help but have a shiver run up his spine as he walked into the shop. It was hard not to feel a little spooked out while standing among all sorts of mystical objects without any sort of light other than a weak candle. Al swore he could see a skull winking at him from the depths of the shelves.

"What is it you seek?" the woman said with a sigh as she set the candle on one of the shelves and started to rub her arms for warmth. Al was grateful for having as many layers as he did, it _was_ rather cold in the shop.

"I need a spell," Al said. The woman frowned. "One to let me travel through time and space."

Suddenly, the woman recognized where she had seen Al before. Her frown got even deeper as she looked over him.

"And what does your father say to that?"

"Er..." Al fumbled for an excuse, but ended up looking sheepishly at his hands and saying nothing. The woman shook her head and made some sort of motion that Al assumed was to protect herself.

"No," she said quickly. "I got in enough trouble with your father for doing that spell on your brother. I might not be the smartest person out there, but I know better than to make the same mistake twice."

"Please!" Al said, eyes desperate.

"You are just like your brother," the woman sighed. She then took the candle and started walking towards the door. She turned the knob and held it open for Al. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

"If you can't do the spell for me, then at least tell me what I need to do to cast it myself!" Al tried desperately. The woman hesitated, and the door swung closed an inch.

"Why are you so desperate to have this spell cast upon you?" she said. "If it fails, then it could leave you as a victim of time for all eternity!"

"Better to be stuck like that for eternity than have to spend another minute doing nothing while I can feel my brother calling out to my soul, begging for my help." Al said firmly. The woman stared at him.

"You two are close, aren't you?"

"Close doesn't even begin to describe it," Al said. "Where he goes, I go. I _have_ to find my brother."

The woman considered him for another minute, then finally sighed and closed the door. Al let out a sigh of relief.

"Come with me," she said. "I'm not going to cast that spell again, not after putting your brother in so much danger, but there might be another spell in my book of shadows that will help you in a... less dangerous manner." Al nodded his gratitude, and followed her upstairs, to a room with a large pentagram in the center of the room. Candles had been scattered around the circle, and a decorative table had a large book on it that the lady started flipping through.

"Make yourself comfortable, this may take a while," the woman said, and then gestured to a pile of pillows in the corner. Al ignored the pillows and instead walked over to where the woman was and looked over her shoulder. She was flipping frantically through the book, barely spending a couple seconds to look at each page. Al could understand why, considering how huge the book was.

"What exactly are we looking for?" he asked.

'Some sort of spell that would help us locate your brother," the woman said as her eyes flicked back and forth. Al frowned.

"You're a witch, can't you just do some sort of spell for find the spell you need?" he asked. The woman shook her head.

"Never heard of such a thing," she muttered, still flicking through pages. Al sighed and gently put his hands on the pages.

"Can I try, just for a minute?" he said. The woman frowned.

"You don't even know magick!"

"No, but I know a trick my brother and I used to do all the time before we memorized alchemical symbols," Al said plainly, the shut the book, holding it upright on its spine. "Dear book, please show me the spell that would be most helpful for what I am intending tonight," he said, and then let go of the book so it fell to a random page.

"Spell of following," the top of the page read. Al and the woman exchanged surprised glances.

"I'll have to remember that trick," the woman said with a shake of her head. Al chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"Brother was never very polite when he asked our books for help, so he never got answers as good as me," Al said with a chuckle.

"I can imagine," the woman said, and then leaned forward and read the spell. "This looks like it would do it," she said after a minute. "This spell is designed to lock you to a certain person so you can follow them no matter what time or space they travel to. It only lasts for a day or two, though. Then you'll be stuck wherever you ended up."

"That's fine," Al said dismissively. "I only need to find my brother."

The woman gave him a sharp look and shook her head. "Oh, no," she said. "I've already gotten in enough trouble with your father, I'm not about to get into more. I'll give you something for you and your brother to return home with. That way, this is actually a rescue mission, not a suicide." The woman then turned to an ornate wooden cabinet, stuck a key in the lock, and pulled open the doors. Al only saw the objects in there for a brief moment before the doors were closed and locked again.

"This is one of my relics, so be careful with it," the woman said, holding a pendant out to him. It was ornate gold with a large ruby set in the center. "Normally I don't let anyone see these, let alone _use_ them, but I suppose I have to do something to make up for my mistake with your brother. Just... be _careful_. This pendant is older than you or I could even imagine."

"What does it do?" Al asked as he carefully took it from her and held it, staring at the ruby.

"If you wear this pendant and summon upon your magickal powers, it should send you to a time or place you focus on. Mind you, it can only do one or the other at a time, it just copies the other from whatever time or place you're in when you use it. So if you want to go to a specific time and place, you'd have to use two trips, but I don't know how many charges it has left anymore. It's _very_ old."

"And it will be able to bring Brother back with me?" Al asked, still entranced with the ruby.

"It will bring back anyone you are holding onto, but every extra person will take up another charge, and..."

"And it's an uncertain number of charges," Al finished for her. The woman nodded, and Al sighed and carefully put the pendant around his neck, then tucked it under his shirt. "Thank you very much, I'm sure it will help us."

The woman nodded, still seeming a little nervous as she glanced at the bulge under Al's shirt. Al had decided to be polite and not pester her about why she hadn't bothered to even tell his brother about the pendant.

"Stand in the center of the pentagram," the woman motioned as she walked back towards the book. "And I'll send you on your way. Your father's going to kill me if this doesn't work out," she added under her breath. Al held back a snicker and stood in the center of the circle. The woman double checked to make sure everything was in place.

"You're going to need to focus as strongly on your brother as you can," the woman said. Al nodded, closed his eyes, and started trying as hard as he could to picture Ed. The woman started reading.

_Send this blessed one to whom he seeks_

_Let him follow through all obstacles_

_Aid in his search, through time and space_

_Keep him safe, oh goddess I pray. _

Al could feel a weird sensation creeping up his toes. He squeezed his eyes tighter, trying to focus even more on the golden eyes and bark of a laugh that he had been picturing.

"Oh, and just to warn you," the woman said, though it was getting a bit hard to hear because of the whooshing in his ears. "These spells can be arbitrary . When they say they're sending you to the same time and space as your brother, you might be a few miles or a couple years different from where he is. They aren't very precise, because—"

Al couldn't hear or say anything else after that, because the world turned black, and the whoosh had become a roar. He fell.

**_Hope this makes the story pick up a bit. Suggestions are as welcome as ever, or just comments, but I won't beg for them like I used to, hehe. Just comment if you wish, and hope to see you back when there's an update. Thanks for reading, and take care!_**


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